Personal News
Microsoft is launching Microsoft Start today, a personalized news feed that integrates with Windows 11 and is accessible online and on iOS and Android. Microsoft Start is very similar to the MSN feed that exists today and to Microsoft News. Microsoft renames them in Microsoft Start and integrates the flow into the Windows 11 widgets section and the Windows 10 taskbar.
Like Microsoft News, Microsoft Start includes news and media channels from over 1,000 publishers. Microsoft uses artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to sort the news presented to users and to personalize content based on interests and how you interact with the content. There’s also some “human moderation” involved, but Microsoft fired dozens of journalists and editors in its Microsoft News and MSN organizations last year, so it’s unclear how involved editors will be.
Microsoft Start will display the best stories, personalized recommendations, and sports or weather scores in its feed. It’s largely the combination of Microsoft’s efforts in recent years with MSN, Microsoft News, and the Windows 10 taskbar widget. MSN won’t go away, but Microsoft Start will be the new brand of Microsoft News.
The stand-alone website, MicrosoftStart.com, will be accessible from all modern web browsers, and the mobile versions of Microsoft News will be renamed Microsoft Start. Once Windows 11 launches next month, Microsoft Start will also be available as a widget in the dedicated section of the new operating system. Microsoft Edge will also include a Microsoft Start feed on the new tab page.
If you want to try Microsoft Start, it’s available online now or through the iOS and Android mobile apps.
