Microsoft recently released a new optional preview update for Windows 11, which introduces a new feature. The changes included in this update are set to roll out to all Windows 11 devices as part of the May 2024 cumulative security update. Notably, the testing and rollout of these changes occurred at a record pace and were initially limited to Windows 11 users in the United States.

There was even speculation that the change might be pulled before reaching stable versions of Windows 11. A slightly modified version of the feature has now been included in the optional update for Windows 11 Stable. Notably, advertised apps will now have a “promoted” label to help differentiate them from user-installed apps.

For example, a screenshot shows a promotion for the Opera Browser with the promoted label and the description “browse safely”. However, it remains unclear whether the company that owns the product or Microsoft adds these descriptions to the listings. Apart from this change, everything else appears to remain unchanged.

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 new apps available. Additionally, users have the option to disable this feature in the Windows 11 Start menu.