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At the start of the year, the European Commission named Microsoft on the list of six “gatekeepers” affected by the new regulation on digital markets, the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Under this law, adopted in 2022, “gatekeepers” must respect specific constraints preventing them from taking advantage of their “solid and durable position” to impose conditions that could be unfair to their users. They must also, through proactive behavior, guarantee “fair and open” digital markets.
On the list established by the European Commission, we find Microsoft’s operating system, Windows, alongside Android for Google and iOS for Apple. This is why Microsoft has just presented the changes planned for Windows and its associated applications to comply with the DMA.
List of upcoming changes
These changes generally only apply to PCs identified in the European Economic Area (EEA) when installing Windows. To change this region, which indicates whether or not the device must comply with the DMA, Windows will have to be reinstalled and the PC reset to a different region, Microsoft says.
The changes announced by Microsoft are as follows:
- Windows will now clearly identify features built into the operating system. The complete composition of the operating system will be available in the menu Settings > System > System Components and the list All apps from the Start menu, renamed All, will present the elements of the operating system with the mention “system”. When searching, the results will also display this label dedicated to operating system components.
- Some applications provided with Windows can now be uninstalled, including Camera, Photos and Cortana. And in Europe only, it will be possible to uninstall Microsoft Edge and web search by Microsoft Bing.
- For European versions, also exclusively, developers will have the option to designate another search engine for the Windows search bar, as well as feeds in widgets. The OS will also offer its users the opportunity to use their Microsoft account to synchronize their data with their other Microsoft devices and products using the same account.
- Regarding default applications, applications will be able to invite their users to modify them by directly opening the dedicated settings page. In the European Union, “Windows will always use the user-configured application default settings for link and file types, including standard browser link types (http, https). Apps choose how to open content on Windows, and some Microsoft apps will choose to open web content in Microsoft Edge.
- Finally, the Copilot functionality, currently in preview in version 23H2 of Windows 11, will not be available in Europe. This feature is currently limited to North America, the United Kingdom, and parts of Asia and South America.
These changes will begin to be introduced on Windows 11, and a little later in versions of Windows 10. Microsoft plans to complete the deployment of these updates throughout Europe before March 6, 2024, the date of entry into force. force of the new legislation.
Source: ZDNet.com