Windows 11 finally gets a fix for a broken 'game-changing' feature

Microsoft has finally got round to fixing a bug that broke Spotify integration with its Focus Sessions feature on Windows 11.

That feature is something Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer, and VP Microsoft Devices, tweeted very enthusiastically about back in 2021.

Indeed, Panay called Focus Sessions (fired up via the Windows Clock app) a "game-changer," with Spotify integration being part of what made it so great.

Mystifyingly, though, this Spotify integration was reported as broken back in February 2023 - with many people complaining about this - and despite media coverage, Microsoft exhibited little desire to do anything about it.

The problem? An expired security certificate that meant rather than Spotify tunes, all users were treated to was a blank panel saying 'Connecting to a service' after which nothing happened.

As Neowin reports, however, Microsoft has finally resolved this gremlin in the works. When you attempt to connect your Spotify account to Windows 11 now, you actually get the correct login screen, and not the aforementioned blank one.

To get the fix, you'll need to ensure that your Windows Clock app is updated to the latest version from the Microsoft Store (version 11.2302.5.0, to be precise).

If you're unfamiliar with Focus Sessions, as the name suggests, this function lets you focus on a task at hand, with all notifications and app alerts temporarily put to one side. Plus the Spotify integration allows you to select a playlist to inspire your session, which is a pretty neat idea, to be fair - though perhaps to say it's part of a game-changer for Windows 11 is going a tad too far.

It's disappointing that it took Microsoft so long to implement what should have been an easy fix, especially given the talking up of the feature in the past. Still, we suppose it's done now, and that's the main thing.