Microsoft rains MSN news feed down on Windows 11 Weather app

News
By Sean Endicott
published

The Weather app will now show news stories in addition to your local forecast.

Windows weather app after a recent update
(Image credit: FireCube via Twitter)

What you need to know

  • The Weather app for Windows 11 and Windows 10 has received a significant update that's available for Insiders.
  • The app now has a new home page with suggestions for your day, such as if you'll need an umbrella or a jacket.
  • Toward the bottom of the homepage, you'll now see trending news stories.

Microsoft rolled out an update to the Weather app for Windows 11 and Windows 10 that brings a new home page and new features. The latest version of Weather also includes trending news topics, which may not be a welcome addition to everyone. The changes were spotted and then shared online by Twitter user FireCube.

Many have complained about Microsoft shoehorning the MSN news feed into apps and services. I've written about news within the Windows 11 widget panel in the past. A Reddit thread about the latest Weather app update includes several criticisms about the addition of news.

"I don't know why every MS product now have "recommended content" or in other words ads. This is just getting too bad. They've gone too far now," said Reddit user fancemon.

The trending news stories at the top seem to be weather related. That being said, the types of stories shown are similar in style to those that you'll see on the general MSN news feed.

Image 1 of 2
MSN Weather app before its most recent update
Microsoft's Weather app used to have a cleaner interface, although it was dated when it comes to design.(Image credit: Future)

In addition to the trending stories, you'll also see ads within the feed. 

The new layout should appear in version 4.53.50501 of the app or later. That build of the app is available to Insiders at the moment.

If you don't have the latest version of the Weather app yet, you can still see what the revamped interface will look like. The home page of the updated app is essentially identical to the MSN weather website.

Assuming that the updated Weather app is identical to the web version of MSN Weather, you will also see general news in addition to weather-related stories.

Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com.

2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • themantimeforgotx
    I can't say that I use this app as it is but this is even more of a reason not to. I hate it that edge displays news by default. I always have to disable it on new machines.
    Reply
  • Daniel Rubino
    themantimeforgotx said:
    I can't say that I use this app as it is but this is even more of a reason not to. I hate it that edge displays news by default. I always have to disable it on new machines.
    I haven't touched the app in years (The widget panel is better, IMO), but you don't notice the MSN stuff until you purposefully scroll down. If you open the app, all you see is the same weather stuff as before. It's similar behavior to Edge's default MSN page.
    Reply