To avoid any unnecessary scrutiny from the EU regulators, Microsoft is preparing to address their concerns of unbundling native apps in its Windows 11.
While there are many that we could point out, Microsoft is currently freeing your Windows 11 from the default integration of the Chat app – which persuades users to install the Microsoft Teams app for connecting with others. An option to completely remove the Chat option from Windows 11 settings is found in recent preview builds.
Removing Chat App in Windows 11
Though Windows OS is much more flexible than Apple’s macOS, it’s still got a lot of bloatware. One of among them is the Microsoft Chat app, which the company launched with much hype in October 2021 – bundled with Windows 11.
Opening Chat for the first time requires you to install the Microsoft Teams app, which eventually allows you to create and schedule meetings with friends or families and make group video and audio calls. While it’s useful, the Windows community hasn’t liked the idea of Microsoft rubbing it on their faces.
Moreover, the Chat app wasn’t a hit, as people continued to adore Meta’s WhatsApp and Facebook for personal chats. Yet, Microsoft has been sticking the Chat app in Windows 11 Taskbar by default and made it one of the Start-Up apps.
May this idea wasn’t liked by the EU, as it raised concerns about Microsoft’s anti-competitive practices lately. This is now triggering the Redmond company to make Chat app optional in Windows 11 – as per some changes in the recent Windows 11 Preview builds.
As noted by Windows Latest, the recent preview builds of Windows 11 has a “RemoveChat” flag – which if activated, will completely remove the Chat app and its mention from Windows 11! Well, this new flag is tagged to some geographical APIs, so we can assume this option will be available to only a few areas, like the EU.
This news aligns with the earlier Financial Times report, which says the same that Microsoft may soon be unbundling Teams apps with its Windows 11 for avoiding EU scrutiny.
The threat was further fuelled by Slack, a direct competitor of Microsoft Teams has been accusing the Redmond company of being anti-competitive as it bundles the Teams app with several of its product offerings.
