In August 2021, Microsoft revealed that it will be the regular Clock app in Windows 11 getting a major redesign. This included a brand new integration with Spotify called Focus Sessions, which would allow you to create a Focus Timer that would allow you to set a specific amount of time to complete a task while alerting you when a break is imminent.
However, Neovin informed that in the last few months the certification for this integration has expired, rendering the function completely useless. And despite complaints from many users in Official Microsoft Support Forums AND Feedback hubthere have been no official patches on this site.
The official Spotify forums received the same complaints and eventually a the representative stated that “we’ve checked and it looks like this is currently a known limitation on the Windows side due to an expired certificate”, and then advised users to report the issue to Microsoft Support for a more detailed explanation.
Update: A Microsoft spokesperson contacted TechRadar with the following statement: “Microsoft is aware and is working on a fix.”
This is not acceptable
This is definitely not the first time we had a malfunctioning Windows 11 feature, or one that Microsoft took months to solve. Between the tech giant’s graphics cards that weaken the operating system due to security features, forced updates causing Bluetooth instability, non-functional AMD processors, and more, there seems to be no end to the woes.
But this one in particular doesn’t look good for Microsoft, as it’s a feature that Microsoft’s chief product officer, Panos Panay, himself has promoted as a “game-changing” integration on his official Twitter. Now, after two years, the integration is dead in the water and there is no sign that Microsoft was fixing it or even wanted to fix it.
While it’s not one of those software features that people paid real money for with no hope of getting their money back, Focus Sessions has undoubtedly been a useful tool for people who have trouble focusing on work. This is an incredibly useful feature and one of the few I can think of for Windows 11 that has been really helpful, and seeing it gutted without any replacement or repair in sight is especially frustrating.
Let’s hope Microsoft announces that it will address this issue soon, or, besides, some saint will create a third-party app with the same concept and better long-term support.