Microsoft released a new optional preview update for Windows 11 this week, introducing a feature that will be incorporated into all Windows 11 devices as part of the May 2024 cumulative security update. The testing and rollout of these changes occurred at an unprecedented speed, initially being limited to users in the United States.

There were hints that the change may have been pulled before being implemented in stable versions of Windows 11. A modified version of the feature has now been included in the optional update for Windows 11 Stable.

Advertised apps will now have a “promoted” label to distinguish them from user-installed apps. A screenshot depicts a promotion for the Opera Browser with the promoted label and the description “browse safely.”

It remains unclear whether the company that owns the product or Microsoft adds the descriptions to the listings. Aside from these changes, the Recommended section of the Start menu will now display some Microsoft Store apps from a select group of curated developers.

This feature aims to help users discover great apps that are available. Furthermore, this update provides the option to disable the feature in the Windows 11 Start menu.