Holding Pattern: The Postponed Windows 11 Recall Function

With Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft also announced a huge AI-fueled feature for Windows 11: Recall. In theory, it would’ve allowed you to sort of “rewind” your computer and see what you were doing minutes or hours ago. One small problem, though. If it shipped, it would’ve most certainly been a privacy and security nightmare. Now, Microsoft is recalling Recall.

Microsoft has announced a delay in the rollout of its Recall feature, which was supposed to arrive on the the first Copilot+ PCs on June 18th. Instead of landing straight into Copilot+ PCs as an opt-in feature, Microsoft has instead decided to roll it out to Insiders at first. It still intends to roll out the feature to everyone, but the company will actually test it with a larger group this time before making it available to everyone (like every other new Windows feature).

Recall is part of Microsoft’s broader initiative to integrate artificial intelligence more deeply into its Windows operating system, and it promises to revolutionize user experience by allowing users to go back through their previous interactions, documents, and activities, making it easier to recall past actions and access relevant data. However, the initial implementation was a significant security risk, as Recall’s automated screenshots and database could be read by third-party applications and malware. Microsoft already promised that would be fixed , but apparently the changes won’t be ready in time for the initial release date.

“We are committed to delivering a high-quality product that meets the expectations of our users,” said Microsoft in its blog post. “This delay, while unfortunate, ensures we can provide a robust and reliable feature.” As it stays a little longer in the oven, this is probably going to give Microsoft some time to actually come up with ways to make this thing more secure.

Microsoft has not provided a new release date for Recall, so if you want to try it out (just be mindful of all of the privacy concerns basically everyone has raised until now if you’re going to do that), you’ll want to sign up for Insider builds on your new Copilot+ PC. Make sure it’s a Snapdragon model, too, just in case .

Source: Microsoft

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