Microsoft is rolling out its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Recall feature with the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview update, the company has announced. The feature first debuted at the Microsoft Surface and AI event in May but its initial version faced criticism due to privacy and security concerns. and hence, its rollout to Windows Insiders testers was halted. It works on Microsoft's new lineup of Copilot+ PCs running Windows 11 and captures user activity via screenshots, enabling them to carry out searches at a later date.
Microsoft Recall Rolls Out
The Recall feature was initially reported to be rolled out to Windows Insiders in October but was delayed. In a subsequent development, Microsoft's Senior Product Manager Brandon LeBlanc confirmed to The Verge that it would only roll out to Windows Insiders program members by December.
In a blog post, Microsoft says that Recall is being rolled out with the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.2415 (KB5046723) to the Dev Channel. Users registered with Microsoft's Windows Insider Program can join the channel and take advantage of this feature on their Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs. In the Preview phase, it supports Chinese (simplified), English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish languages. Microsoft adds that it will roll out support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs in the future.
What is Recall?
As per the company, the Recall feature uses snapshots of the user's screen to create a photographic memory. It includes documents, emails, images, and websites visited on the PC. Once done, users can describe what they're searching for via text-based prompts and Recall will provide the related results. Alternatively, they can scroll through their timeline to see snapshots from a specific time period. Microsoft says this feature leverages AI to provide both text and visual matches for the query.
This feature requires an opt-in permission to save snapshots and enrol in Windows Hello, leveraging BitLocker and Secure Boot. Microsoft says Recall will not save any snapshots of the activity if users do not opt-in. A new icon is said to be displayed in the system tray as a visual cue when Recall takes snapshots of the screen. It also gives quick access to controls such as pausing the feature or viewing more information.
Users also have control over what data is being saved, as per Microsoft. They can choose to manually erase snapshots or exclude an app or website from being snapped. The company emphasises that snapshots remain on-device and are not sent to Microsoft or third-party servers, or used for training AI models or any other features. Further, it claims that the Recall feature can detect when sensitive information — such as credit card details or passwords — is being displayed on the screen and does not store them as snapshots.
Microsoft says Recall is removed by default on Enterprise versions of Windows 11 as well as PCs managed for work or school by an IT administrator.
