What you need to know
- Microsoft has announced a new personalized news feed service.
- The new app and service is called Microsoft Start and is available on iOS, Android, and the web.
- It's available today and builds off MSN and Microsoft News.
- People already running Microsoft News on iOS and Android will get an app update that refreshes the experience with the new Start design, layout, and icon.
Microsoft has today announced that it is launching a new personalized feed website called "Microsoft Start," designed to make it easy to gather news and information content from premium publishers in one place. The company says that Microsoft Start builds off the legacy of MSN and Microsoft News, with enhanced AI and machine learning paired with human moderation to help curate content.
Microsoft Start is available starting today, and focuses on making it easy to bring all your interests together into one place. Just like MSN today, the service will present breaking news and on-topic articles on the front page, but Microsoft Start makes it so that the user can customize what exactly shows up there.
Liet Ben-Zur, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft describes the service:
Microsoft Start builds on Microsoft's legacy with online and mobile consumer services like MSN and Microsoft News. MSN has been bringing customers news and online content for over 25 years and will remain available. We will continue to build on our commitment to news and our publisher ecosystem, adding value for both partners and customers alike. Microsoft Start brings new technology to content experiences, including Microsoft's latest advancements in AI and machine learning, coupled with human moderation, to help people stay up to date with information that is personalized for their interests
The new Microsoft Start service is what powers the Windows 10 "news and interests" experience, as well as the Widgets panel found in Windows 11. It's also what users will find when they open a new tab in Microsoft Edge, and users can download a dedicated Microsoft Start app for Android or iOS, as well as access the service via the web (the mobile app replaces the current Microsoft News app on iOS and Android).
Microsoft Start appears to be a combination of a number of other Microsoft products and services, including MSN, Cortana, and more. Cortana used to be able to learn your interests and display latest news and headlines in its feed, as well as give you travel time estimates based on your location. Now, these feature has returned as part of Microsoft Start.
Microsoft says that Microsoft Start doesn't replace MSN.com, and the dedicated Microsoft News app for Windows 10 and Windows 11 will continue to exist for the time being.
Stay informed while on the go with Microsoft Start, a personalized news and interests service that can be configured just the way you like it.
