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Microsoft’s much talked about Recall feature was set to arrive next week with the Copilot Plus PCs. However, the feature which screenshots everything one does on the new laptops, is reportedly being held back. According to reports, Microsoft is holding back the feature so it can test it with the Windows Insider program. This is contrary to the original announcement which claimed to ship Recall as an opt-in feature with additional security improvements.
In its official blog, Microsoft said that there will be an additional update on the Recall (preview) feature Copilot+ PCs. “Recall will now shift from a preview experience broadly available for Copilot+ PCs on June 18, 2024, to a preview available first in the Windows Insider Program (WIP) in the coming weeks. Following receiving feedback on Recall from our Windows Insider Community, as we typically do, we plan to make Recall (preview) available for all Copilot+ PCs coming soon,” the company said in its blog.
Microsoft has said that the company is adjusting the release model for Recall to leverage the expertise of the Windows Insider community to ensure the experience meets Microsoft’s high standards for quality and security. “When Recall (preview) becomes available in the Windows Insider Program, we will publish a blog post with details on how to get the preview,” read the blog post.
What this essentially means is that the Recall feature will not be available initially to Windows Insider or anyone with a Copilot+ PC. Also known as ‘Photographic memory’, the much-contended feature takes background screenshots to help users instantly find previously viewed content. This feature reportedly uses on-device AI features. After it was announced in late May, several researchers and analysts had raised safety and privacy concerns. Later, Microsoft updated the setup process for Copilot+ PCs following which by default, Recall will be turned off and users will be required to manually opt-in to use it.
This is the second blog update from Microsoft on the Recall feature. On June 9, Microsoft released a new blog by Pavan Davuluri, corporate vice president of Windows and devices, addressing major concerns about Recall which is a key feature of the upcoming ARM-powered Copilot+ PCs.