This week, Microsoft released a new optional preview update for Windows 11. The update introduces a new feature, and the changes included in it will be part of the May 2024 cumulative security update for all Windows 11 devices.

The testing and rollout of the update happened at a record pace and were initially limited to Windows 11 users in the United States. There were hints that the change might be pulled before it became available in stable versions of Windows 11.

However, a slightly modified version of the feature has now been included in the optional update for Windows 11 Stable. One notable change is the introduction of a “promoted” label for advertised apps, intended to distinguish them from user-installed apps.

As shown in a screenshot, an example of this is the promotion for the Opera Browser, which is labeled as “promoted” and has the description “browse safely.” It is unclear who adds descriptions to these listings – whether it is the company that owns the product or Microsoft.

Apart from these changes, there do not appear to be any other significant modifications. The Recommended section of the Start menu will now display some Microsoft Store apps from a small set of curated developers, aiming to help users discover great available apps.

Users also have the option to disable this feature in the Windows 11 Start menu.