Microsoft's controversial Windows Recall feature is back. The tech giant recently announced on its official blog that the feature will be available to Windows Insider testers in October 2024. Once ready, it will be rolled out to all Copilot Plus PCs, although no exact timeframe was given.
To give you a quick idea, Windows Recall was met with strong backlash when it was announced in May. It uses artificial intelligence to take screenshots of everything you do on a Windows 11 computer, with the aim of keeping a detailed record. A user could, for example, go back and locate lost files or remind them of past conversations.
The company assured everyone that it was completely safe, but people didn't believe it. They didn't trust the brand because of its poor reputation when it comes to protecting users' data. Even cybersecurity researcher Alexander Hagenah showed that it's actually very easy for malware to steal all the data inside a Recall repository.
Shortly after, Microsoft removed the feature (pun intended).
Potential upgrade package
In June, the company posted an update on its website detailing everything it was going to do with the tool. Microsoft said it would first make it very clear that users could opt out of the recall, and that it would be “off by default.”
Enrollment in Windows Hello will be a prerequisite for activating the tool, and additional layers of protection are being added. The post states that screenshots “can only be decrypted and accessed when the user authenticates.”
Microsoft also briefly discusses the new user experience. A recovery window will be placed in the taskbar whenever screenshots are saved and you will be able to delete images at any time.
Analysis: A major concern
Aside from these descriptions, it's unknown if anything else will be added or changed with the relaunch. This was supposed to come out in the weeks following the first delay; however, those weeks quickly turned into months. Microsoft doesn't explain why they had to delay Recall's release even further, though they promise to release more details in October.
Our main concern is how much or how little of the new package will be available to testers. There is no guarantee that testers will have access to every single change. It could be all of them or just one. Also, the relaunch might not happen this year.
Windows Insider testing typically lasts a few weeks to months before it's officially released. If Microsoft needs to make a lot of adjustments, Recall might not be released until sometime next year.
While we're at it, check out TechRadar's roundup of the best laptops for 2024.
