Windows 11: controversial Recall AI-feature is making a comeback in latest build
When Microsoft announced the AI-feature Recall last year, it rode on a wave of positive AI news and coverage. Copilot was taking off and integration of AI features in Windows and other products had started already.
What Microsoft did not expect was the feedback that it received when it announced Recall. To better understand why, it is necessary to look at the initial functionality of the feature.
Recall was designed as a tool for users to better interact and go back to activities of the past. Recall would take snapshots of the screen regularly, use metadata and AI to analyse the activity, and allow users to interact with AI regarding it.
You could ask Recall to list all websites about a certain topic that you opened in the past, ask it about the whereabouts of a specific document that you forgot the name of but can describe, or summarize last week's activity on the PC.
Criticism: Recall was criticized heavily. Key points included that Recall was opt-out, which meant that it would run automatically on user systems, that the information that it collected was not secured properly, that its database would become a high-value target for malicious actors, and that Microsoft did not run public tests.
Microsoft postponed the launch as a consequence, stating that it would go back to the drawing board to address the concern.
The company published information about the revised Recall feature in late September 2024. This new version would be opt-in and the data that the AI collects would be protected better.
Recall is making a comeback
Microsoft released a new Release Preview build for Windows 11 yesterday. This build, 26100.3902, rolls out Recall gradually. It is labeled as a preview version and only available for Copilot+ PCs.
Here is how Microsoft describes the feature: "With the AI capabilities of Copilot+ PCs, it’s now possible to quickly find and get back to any app, website, image, or document just by describing its content."
Microsoft says that users need to opt-in to start using Recall and also enroll in Windows Hello. Doing so will start the creation of snapshots of the system's screen.
Users are always in control, according to Microsoft. They can pause or delete saved snapshots at any time.
Windows Hello authentication kicks in whenever Recall is launched on the system to use it to find previous content. Found content can be re-opened or combined with the Click to Do-feature. This allows users to "take immediate action" on what is shown on the screen.
Closing Words
Recall is only available for Copilot+ PCs. Good news is that it is opt-in, which means that you do not have to worry about it too much anymore, if you do not plan on using it. Is it the key-feature that Microsoft aimed for to push AI to the next level? Probably not. While it may have its used in work environments and other specialized environments, it seems unlikely that the majority of regular Windows users will find it overly useful.
Now You: do you plan to use Recall on your Windows PCs or a similar feature, such as Google's Chat Recall feature, on other devices? Feel free to leave a comment down below to join the discussion.
Every other day MS ruins windows. TempleOS on the other is immune to 0-day exploits, spyware, adware, malware. The code base is perfect, it does not need updates. it has zero bugs and the features of the OS is plentiful. it’s a divine OS designed in perfect form like god himself. These windows heathens don’t know what they are missing.
“Users are always in control, according to Microsoft. They can pause or delete saved snapshots at any time.”
Not true…all the files are saved in Copilot servers so good luck trying to delete them. lol
The photo is awesome: two women trying to use W11! Such adorable scene by the left party!
Interesting article on the subject over at Techrights.org that Recall stores all its snapshots in an unencrypted folder. The article dates from June last year so maybe that anomaly has been corrected already: https://techrights.org/n/2024/06/11/Windows_11_s_Recall_AI_known_to_take_snapshots_and_recordings_o.shtml
Still, it’s disturbing that Microsoft would even consider such a thing given the lack of security.
Also an article from the beginning of this year that purports to show that Microsoft in $80bn in debt and that AI has been terminated: https://techrights.org/n/2025/01/05/No_Microsoft_Does_Not_Invest_80B_in_Hey_Hi_AI_It_s_Just_Full_of.shtml
Even if this doesn’t turn out to be a security nightmare because of added extra protection, which I still doubt, it will still give SSDs a good thrashing with all the garbage data that it will be writing to them, data which the user doesn’t actually care about. SSDs have limited write cycles, which means you can only write to them so many times before they fail.
“Users are always in control, according to Microsoft”
That’s a lie. I cannot audit the source code so I am not always in control.
More lies from Microsoft, a convicted monopoly.
Are the two ladies (and the coffee) laughing at M$ Recall or are they proud of it? It’s difficult to tell. What a bizarre choice of stock art for this article!
Look, Microsoft, a convicted monopoly, doesn’t care about you. They never have. They are in bed with big business, governments, the military and more throughout the world!
Like Trump, M$ does what is best for M$, everyone else be damned.
It doesn’t matter what you say or do, M$ is ONE MICROSOFT WAY. Always has been, always will.
Pure spyware. I have my browser set to delete history, I don’t want some officially-sanctioned keylogger keeping a record against my wishes.
What people tend to forget is that Microsoft (MS) streams all your inputs in realtime; so it doesn’t really matter so much what the AI does…MS already knows about it.
You can block most of the tracking in host file. Also, IO Shutup and some other privacy apps can disable the rest of tracking and telemetry, decreasing just little of Windows functionality.
@boris
No you can’t. Most of Microsoft connections have ignored the hosts file.
You need to configure an external firewall to block those connections.
@Mike Williams
I know that. I use SimpleWall to block all Microsoft connections (So I am vulnerable until SimpleWall starts). I do not have router based blocker like Pi-hole. Sorry for not mentioning it.
“When hell freezes over”