Today, I learned that Windows 10’s Settings app has a built-in feature that can detect when your Microsoft 365 has expired and show a notification directly on the Settings. I’m not sure if the feature is new, but the dialog box does appear to be new/different, and it doesn’t match the rest of the Windows 10 design language.
As you probably know, Windows 10 Settings has a header section where you can see your Microsoft account email address and the last time Windows Update was checked for updates. It also includes a quick link to Microsoft Rewards and an option to go back to Microsoft’s recommended settings for Edge and Bing.
That’s all good, and we’re now used to the banner, but Microsoft is testing or has been testing a new alert system within the Settings app that tells you when Microsoft 365, OneDrive or other subscriptions expire. I assume it can also show a similar alert for Copilot Pro if you own it and your subscription has expired or is about to expire.
Today, when I opened the Settings app on Windows 10, an alert appeared on my system stating: Microsoft 365 Personal expired. Update your payment method to renew it today.
The “Microsoft 365 Personal expired. Update your payment method to renew it today” alert looks out of place. It doesn’t even look like it was designed for Windows 10.
Look at the missing period, the white line above the banner, and the poorly aligned cross icon.
Regardless, I still like the idea, and it’s a neat feature if you ask me. Android phones have a similar feature, so it’s nice to see it on Windows as well.
Again, Windows Latest doesn’t know if the alert system is new because I don’t see it documented anywhere.
This feature seems to be linked to an internal feature flag titled “Revamp_AlertBanner”, and it was rolled out as part of some recent cumulative update.
Settings app to look a lot different on Windows 10
Since this article gives me another opportunity to talk about the Settings app in Windows 10, let’s also take a closer look at two upcoming changes: colourful Settings icons and the new Windows 11-like About page in Settings.
I’ve already written about these two new additions in my previous article. For those unaware, the icons within the Settings header will soon have a blue accent colour, but the icon or alert within these icons will respect your system accent colour.
Right now, these icons have either white or gray colour, depending on the system theme.
Another notable change is a new About System page that looks a lot like the Windows 11 version and includes an FAQ section that better describes the system specs to someone who doesn’t know anything about computers.
At the same time, it also nudges users to try Windows 11.
With less than 285 days to go until Windows 10 end-of-support, I wonder if we’ll see another wave of changes on Windows 10. Microsoft has promised that you can buy a $30 extended security updates package, but it will not include new features or significant improvements.
Thanks phantomofearth on X for helping me with this article.
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