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Microsoft was criticised before basic privacy lapses with Recall AI that made it a nightmare for people using the tool but now it seems to have fixed those issues.
Microsoft Windows 11 recall is back. (Photo: AI generated for representation)
Microsoft is relaunching its Recall tool with a stronger focus on user privacy and caution, following months of delays and criticism of its initial design. The updated tool is now available to Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel, as announced in the company’s recent blog post.
Microsoft Recall AI Feature: Safer Than Before?
As part of Microsoft’s AI initiative for Windows 11, the Recall feature captures screenshots of user activity across documents, apps, and websites. These snapshots, saved locally on the device, allow users to revisit content they may have encountered, even if they can’t recall the exact time or location.
For example, Recall can search through its records to help users find a previously viewed recipe or document.
Recall’s initial plan was to launch with CoPilot Plus PCs in the middle of 2024, but security researchers’ grave concerns caused the launch to be postponed. Many were worried that the feature’s constant screen capturing may expose private information. Later, Microsoft postponed the launch to concentrate on improving the tool’s security and reliability.
Recall is back with the latest build, but it’s now subject to a rigorous opt-in process, as per reports. Microsoft has confirmed that customers will need to explicitly turn on the feature, which is off by default. Moreover, each snapshot is encrypted and accessible only by the device owner, who can confirm this by logging in with Windows Hello.
Microsoft has included capabilities like “Click to Do,” which enables users to perform tasks like text copying and document reopening straight from Recall’s timeline, reports add. The tool will not share data with other users on the same computer or upload any data to Microsoft servers while it is still AI-powered. Additionally, users have complete choice over whether to pause or remove snapshots. This is a quick teaser of how Recall AI gives you the results:
Recall has previously released limited previews for a few Qualcomm, Intel, and AMD PCs, but this is their most comprehensive test so far. According to expectations, Microsoft will make the final version available to the general public in early 2025. Later this year, a European rollout that complies with regional laws is also anticipated.
Recall will support German, French, Spanish, Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, and German upon launch. Only specific file types and content formats are currently supported, and some features might change depending on the market or device.
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