Summary Windows 11 pop-ups are not ads but options to purchase products.
Microsoft’s new ads promote Black Ops 6 and Microsoft Defender.
Users can dismiss or manage ad preferences in Windows 11 settings.
With Windows 11 slowly receiving more and more ads across its system, people are getting a little tired of seeing new ones pop up. Over the past few days, some users have spotted ad pop-ups advertising the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and the paid Microsoft Defender security app. Fortunately, Microsoft has cleared up this little mess by stating that these aren’t ads at all but instead “giving the people the option to purchase” a product. Phew. Well, that clears that up, doesn’t it?
Microsoft’s new ads are here – just don’t call them “ads”
The story begins when Windows Latest caught wind of some new ads appearing on Windows 11 back in November. These ads were for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Vault Edition and Microsoft Defender, the former of which explicitly had a “Buy Now” button as part of the popup.
Now, Windows Latest has caught Microsoft doing it again with a new Game Pass notification, which asks users to “Join Now” by paying a subscription fee. However, when Windows Latest then reached out to Microsoft about these pop-ups, the company so helpfully corrected it by stating that these were not advertisements whatsoever:
These are notifications giving people the option to purchase Black Ops 6: Vault Edition from the Microsoft Store or to download the Microsoft Defender app. We value providing our customers with choice, so there is an option to dismiss the notifications, as well as the option to manage your preferences in settings.
So there you have it: Microsoft’s official stance on what these pop-ups are. You know, Microsoft should really find a word that describes “an unprompted notification from a business recommending that you purchase one of its products.” I’m sure there’s one in the dictionary somewhere. Until then, check out these quick changes that stop Windows 11 from spamming you with ads.
Microsoft claims its new Windows 11 Xbox popups aren’t ads, merely “options you can purchase”
