Microsoft wants to 'recruit your squad' in the latest unbidden Game Pass ad on your Windows Settings homepage. Also, it might crash

(Image credit: Microsoft)

The latest Windows 11 Insider Preview build (22635.4805) has been rolling out for some, and Microsoft's blog proudly lists the changes. Among them is the announcement that Game Pass Ultimate and regular Game Pass subscribers will see a new card on the Settings homepage encouraging you to share a 14-day free trial of PC Game Pass with 'up to a (sic) 5 friends.'

And further down the post, under known issues? "The Home page of settings may crash." I've yet to receive the update myself, but here's how my homepage looks currently, with multiple cards already present.

A screenshot of the home page of Windows Settings, with ad cards on the far right. — (Image credit: Microsoft)

While it's not clear if the new ad is to blame for the crashing issue, I can't be the only one increasingly annoyed by the fact my Windows settings are becoming cluttered—especially as I am a Game Pass subscriber, and I don't need new features advertised to me for something I'm already paying for when I'm scrolling my settings menu.

Alright, I'm not really on the homepage that often, and you probably aren't either. But for the less PC-savvy, greeting settings explorers with a bunch of ads for other Microsoft products and features doesn't exactly make the experience straightforward—especially if the homepage crashes before they find the setting they're looking for.

Bloat is bad, and bloat this most certainly is. Anyway, there are still some useful features added in the new update, including the ability to use your Xbox controller to navigate and type on a new Gamepad keyboard layout, some new Narrator functionality, and some explainer messaging added to Snap.

Microsoft says this is aimed at "driving contextual learning and discovery", which essentially amounts to some text at the top of Snap hover windows telling users what each function does.

It's not the most exciting of updates, granted. But at least here Microsoft seems to be making an attempt to make Windows features easier to navigate, rather than shoving yet another ad in to important pages that are fairly cluttered to begin with, potentially breaking them in the process.

Personally, I'm still waiting for a build that fixes the litany of issues created by the Windows 11 24H2 update. In the meantime though, some accessibility is added—and some, it seems, is buried under yet more ad cards. MS giveth, and MS advertises its products in your settings menu. The world keeps turning, folks.

Andy built his first gaming PC at the tender age of 12, when IDE cables were a thing and high resolution wasn't—and he hasn't stopped since. Now working as a hardware writer for PC Gamer, Andy spends his time jumping around the world attending product launches and trade shows, all the while reviewing every bit of PC gaming hardware he can get his hands on. You name it, if it's interesting hardware he'll write words about it, with opinions and everything.