Windows 11 to Get New 'Focus Sessions' Feature With Spotify Integration, Microsoft Announces

Microsoft has announced the development of a new ‘Focus Sessions’ feature on Windows 11 that appears to be inspired by the ‘Pomodoro’ time management method. The technique essentially breaks down work into intervals via a timer where each interval is known as a Pomodoro. Though several third party apps help with time management, Microsoft is now bringing native support with even Spotify integration. The development was showcased by Microsoft’s head of Windows and devices Panos Panay in a post on Twitter. The Focus Sessions feature is not yet available in public Insider Previews.

As per the post on Twitter, Focus Sessions sits within the clock app, and users can set time for at least 30 minutes. Apart from the Spotify integration, there’s direct support for Microsoft To-Do, the company’s cloud-based task management application. The basic idea behind the feature is that when the session is enabled, users will not receive notifications from other apps and there would be less background distraction to “focus” on the task. The Spotify integration on Windows 11‘s Focus Session will aim to boost the ‘fun part’ while working. We’ll learn more about the feature once Microsoft rolls it out on Insider channels for testers. Notably, Apple had introduced a Focus mode for the next-gen iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey this year. The Focus mode is a more customisable version of Apple’s existing Do Not Disturb and is accessed from the same menu on iPhones, iPad, and Macs. Apple explains, “Focus is a new feature that filters notifications and apps based on what a user wants to focus on.”

Meanwhile, Microsoft is planning to update its popular desktop applications, like Clock, Voice Recorder, Calculator, Office, Notepad, Photos, and even Microsoft Paint with a new look. The available design of Photos and MS Paint shows that Microsoft wants its popular application to blend with the latest Windows 11. In a separate tweet, Panay had also showcased the new Snipping tools on the next-gen Windows OS.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here.