Microsoft has a rather controversial history of inserting "advertisements" for its other services in Windows 11, with these promotions sometimes causing issues in the operating system too. Now, the Redmond tech giant has been caught embedding content regarding Copilot in the Windows 11 lock screen in a rather unsolicited manner.

What did Microsoft do?

Several Windows 11 users on Reddit were rather surprised to see a massive QR code on their Windows 11 lock screen recently. Scanning this code directed them to Microsoft's Copilot website, which recommended them to download dedicated Copilot apps for Android and iOS. Whether this move can be termed as an advertising effort for Copilot or not is in the eye of the holder, but the move certainly irked some users, who took to Reddit to complain.

What was Microsoft's response?

Since the QR code for Copilot had been inserted in Windows 11 without the consent of users and had no accompanying documentation or release notes either, there was some uproar on Reddit. Windows Latest reached out to Microsoft for a statement, and it turns out that the QR code was simply there to "educate" Windows 11 users about Copilot. Here is the company's response in full:

The notification was simply a way to educate users and has since been paused. We value our customer experiences and are always learning to determine what is most valuable and to whom.

This is a rather worrying trend

While it's good that Microsoft paused the rollout of this QR code following backlash from the community, the move further shines light on a rather worrying trend of upselling Microsoft services through Windows 11. The company is already notorious for pushing its Edge browser on customers, and the Windows 11 lock screen serves as an ad banner for Bing and Microsoft Rewards too. It's unlikely that this incident will cause Microsoft to rethink its advertising strategy, but it will be interesting to see if the firm can find a better balance in the ways it promotes its services.