In a nutshell: Are you a fan of the Live Tiles feature in Windows 10's Start Menu? Probably not, which is why Microsoft is reportedly going to kill them off in a future Windows update.
Live Tiles, you may recall, arrived alongside the Windows Phone 7 before making their way to the Windows 8 operating system. Microsoft hoped the feature would make the OS well-suited for both desktop and touchscreen computers, but it wasn't too be. Despite this, Live Tiles still came to Windows 10's Start Menu.
In addition to acting as shortcuts, Live Tiles continuously pull information in real-time from the likes of Mail, Spotify, and news and weather applications, but the feature hasn't been updated since Windows Mobile came to an end, meaning more third-party app makers have dropped support.
According to Windows Latest, citing people familiar with the development of Windows 10, Microsoft is planning to get rid of Live Tiles and replace them with a series of static icons. This redesigned Start menu would be similar to the start menu of Windows 10X, which is designed for dual-screen devices.
It's unclear how long we'll have to wait before the change arrives, assuming it does. Microsoft is said to be replacing Live Tiles after the Windows 10 20H2 update that is scheduled to be pushed out in the second half of this year. Windows Latest expects the feature will be killed off in Windows 10's 2021 update.
Last week it was reported that Microsoft was pushing out new, colorful Windows 10 icons to those in the Windows Insider Program, so the company is planning to change the look of its OS. Removing Live Tiles could be part of those long-term plans.