Microsoft Corp. is working hard to realize a return on the $26.2 billion that it paid to acquire LinkedIn last year. The company’s plan places a particular emphasis on product integrations, with the latest offering on the checklist being Windows 10.

LinkedIn product manager Hermes Alvarez today announced the release of a new app for Microsoft’s operating system that blends directly into the desktop interface. The first highlight is Live Tile support that enables users to show the LinkedIn client on the Start menu alongside their other frequently used programs. Similarly to Windows 10’s built-in Weather App, it serves both as a shortcut for bringing up the social network and a means of quickly checking changes, in this case notifications.

Users can view the full list of alerts by clicking the Action Center button on the right side of the Windows 10 taskbar. To prevent unnecessary interruptions, the LinkedIn client provides the ability to filter what notifications are displayed through the in-app settings console.

The app supports 22 languages on launch and is being released gradually, with Alvarez writing in the launch announcement that the rollout is expected to wrap up by the end of the month. It’s the latest in a string of major product updates that LinkedIn has made since its acquisition by Microsoft. 

Previously, the social network introduced a messaging tab similar to Facebook Inc.’s that lets users contact a connection regardless of what page they happen to be viewing. The feature was launched not long after LinkedIn unveiled a salary comparison tool that can help a professional compare their compensation against peers in similar positions.

In the same time frame, the social network has gotten much more integrated with Microsoft’s productivity services. LinkedIn is now accessible through Dynamics 365 for salespeople looking to find leads, enables hiring managers to scout potential recruits in a similar manner and supports Active Directory. Microsoft will likely add more integrations with time as it explores new ways to monetize the social network’s vast troves of user data.

Image: LinkedIn