Microsoft is bringing Google Discover-like news feed to Windows
10 with the next update, which is set to arrive in the second
half of 2021. It’s understood that the news feed will be
present in the taskbar, as an option, which means you can
choose to use it or hide it with a right-click on the icon.
This feature is part of the Windows Shell Experience and it
cannot be disabled or uninstalled manually, just like
Windows 10 Meet Now. With the feature, you can see
interest-based news and weather updates on the Windows taskbar,
and it’s all powered by Microsoft’s MSN network.
As you can see in the screenshot below, each news item is in a
card and you’ll be able to filter the feed with categories,
giving you a better picture of what topic those articles fall
under.
Tapping on categories like sports lets you explore that
specific topic and access articles relevant to that topic,
including live scores and more visual content directly from the
taskbar.
You can also customize the feed by blocking selection “More
stories like this” or “Fewer stories like this” options under
the news item. Of course, Microsoft will use its algorithm to
offer more stories about the things that are relevant to your
interests, thanks to Bing’s AI and ML capabilities.
This feature is currently live in Windows 10 Build 21286 and it
might ship with the Sun Valley / 21H2 update in October. If you
want to test it now, you would need to download the preview
build and switch your device region to the United States,
Canada, Great Britain, Australia, or India.
It’s also worth noting that the news feed requires
Chromium-based Microsoft Edge and it’s currently in the early
stage of development, so it’s unclear if it will be included in
the next version of Windows 10.
In addition to taskbar improvements,
Microsoft is also believed to be working on a Windows 10
feature update with a new user interface and dark mode
improvements.
