Microsoft Updates Photos App For Windows 11, Unveils Microsoft Start News Service

Last Updated on September 8, 2021 by Chandrakant Isi

Microsoft embraced the minimalist flat design language with Windows 8. However, its vision wasn’t completely realised as several native apps still featured a legacy (also known as Win32) interface. The Redmond-based software giant addressed some of those issues with the introduction of Windows 10. Now, the company seems to be making strides towards achieving a cohesive look with the latest version of Windows: Windows 11. The company’s Chief Product Officer, Panos Panay, shared a glimpse of it by posting a video demonstrating the design refresh of the Photos App. The company also unveiled a brand new news aggregation service called Microsoft Start.

Windows 11 Brings New Photos App With Updated Design, More Feature

Going by the video, it is safe to assume that the Photos App retains its core functionality. You can use it to view photos and even do some basic editing. However, there are significant changes in the aesthetics department. For starters, Microsoft has worked towards getting rid of the clutter. The tools and menus icons look clean and well-spaced out. Moreover, the app can now display multiple photos in a collage-like layout. Moving onto editing capabilities, the clip shows crop feature in action, which already exists in the current version of the Photos App. The company has not shed any light on new features.

The new Photos App is a part of Windows 11, which is set to release on October 5. The rollout will be done in phases so depending on your hardware and region, Microsoft’s new OS may reach your system by mid-2022. Windows 11 boasts of many improvements such as a more modern look. The biggest change centres around how Start Menu and Taskbar behave. Other enhancements include the introduction of DirectX12 Ultimate, DirectStorage support for SSDs, and a revamped snipping tool. You can learn about its system requirements by heading over to this link.

Microsoft Start Is The Company’s New News Aggregation Service

On a related note, Microsoft also announced its new news aggregation service called Microsoft Start. According to the company, it leverages machine learning algorithms to recommend articles tailored to user interests. To access this service, users can download the Microsoft Start app from here or visit MicrosoftStart.com.

The service works with most browsers except for Apple’s Safari. The software giant is also planning on using this service to power the News and Interests experience on the Windows 10 Taskbar and Windows 11’s Widgets section. Notably, Microsoft Start won’t replace the company’s existing MSN news service, and this step may confuse users.