Microsoft removes ads and news from the Weather app, adds a useful widget instead

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Last month, Microsoft released a redesigned Weather app for Windows 10 and 11. The new version introduced a redesigned home screen with a few questionable changes, such as MSN News integration and ad banners. Windows users, already annoyed by the influx of ads, recommended content, and other unfriendly changes in the OS, did not like the new app. As a result, a wave of criticism forced Microsoft to remove the controversial parts of the new Weather app.

As spotted by Deskmodder, the latest MSN Weather app update replaced banners with a widget for sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset. Integration with MSN News is also gone—the only thing you see when scrolling down to the bottom of the home page is a set of recommended weather maps, such as 3D Earth View, 3D Cloud View, 3D Rain View, temperature, winds, and more.


Interestingly, this is not the first time Microsoft tried to earn some cash by placing ad banners in the Weather app. In the early days of Windows 10, one of the updates added a similar block for ads that were later removed. The second attempt in 2023 did not work either, so maybe this time, Microsoft will remember that displaying ads in stock apps is not something users will tolerate.