Microsoft is bringing a new feature to the Windows 10 MSN News app that will allow users to select which news sources they prefer to get news from. Currently, users are limited to customizing their feeds by both recommended Interests (which are controlled by Microsoft) and custom (created by the user) options but there isn’t a way to prevent news stories from disliked sources showing up or a way to promote preferred publications’ content closer to the top of the stack.
Example: In my News app, I have Australia, World, Business, Business Travel, Fitness, and Smart Living enabled. All of these are automated pre-selected news feeds curated by Microsoft. I’ve also created my own specific Interests by using the “Add an Interest” option in the Interest screen to search for specific topics that Microsoft doesn’t advertise. Examples of some of these are Xbox One, Surface Pro, and Frequent Flyer. These work the same as the promoted Interests and are also populated with news stories by Microsoft. Neither option provides me with the option to remove stories by certain publications or specify a preference for others (like WinBeta).
The ability to choose news sources was actually a feature that was present in the Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 version of the app but, like many other apps, the MSN News app dropped some functionality somewhere in the conversion process to the new Microsoft operating system, Windows 10.
The update to the app with this new/returning feature will first become available to users in the Fast Ring and will roll out to the general public in the near future. This will bring the Windows 10 version of the app up to feature parity with the Windows 8 version and will also benefit from having all of the Windows 10 design improvements. Is there something you would change about the MSN News app on Windows 10 devices? Share your thoughts with the community in the comments below.
