Microsoft may have allowed users of its popular operating systems to upgrade to Windows 10 for free last year, but the company hasn't hidden the fact that it will use various methods to monetize the platform. In April 2015, the Redmond firm revealed that one way it would do this is by placing ads on the Windows lock screen, and now it has made good on this promise, as several users have reported seeing Rise of the Tomb Raider ads appearing on their devices.
The full-screen advertisements ask users to "Discover the legend within," by purchasing the second game in the rebooted Lara Croft series from Microsoft's Windows Store. The ads were initially reported by How-To Geek's Chris Stobing, as well as several Reddit users.
Luckily, disabling the ads is very simple. Simply go to Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen and uncheck the box that reads:"Get fun facts, tips, tricks and more on your lock screen." Note that this is the way to avoid ads if you have 'Picture' or 'Slideshow' selected for the 'Background' setting. Anyone using the Windows Spotlight feature, which shows images from Bing and certain running Windows apps, will see the advertisements.
This isn't the first instance of Windows offering up these ads; last month, several users complained that they found a promotion for the Minions movie had appeared on their lock screens, which also included a link to the Windows Store for anyone wishing to buy the animated box-office hit.
While lock screen ads may be an annoyance to many people, at least Microsoft has made receiving them optional. Hopefully, the company won't ramp up this method of monetizing Windows 10 by pushing out more invasive ads and make opting out more difficult - or even impossible.
Photo credit: How-To Geek