Facepalm: After weeks of anger and outcry, Microsoft has decided to postpone the upcoming release of its controversial Recall feature. The auto-screenshotting tool was supposed to arrive on June 18 alongside the launch of the Copilot+ PCs. Now, its availability will be limited to Windows Insiders, at least for the time being.
There has been a global outcry over Recall since it was announced by Microsoft on May 20. Initially set for an official launch in the Copilot+ PCs, the feature constantly takes screenshots of whatever you’re doing every few seconds, storing the snapshots so users can search through a scrollable timeline to find something they’ve been working on.
Recall was always going to be controversial, especially after a researcher pointed out the glaring security holes as the OCR (optical character recognition) data for each snapshot is stored in a plaintext SQLite database file.
Microsoft tried to alleviate concerns last week by announcing some major changes to Recall, including that it will be opt-in instead of a default setting, and that the search index database will be encrypted for added security. These changes are believed to be the reason why Microsoft recently paused the Windows 11 24H2 preview build rollout.
Satya Nadella says Windows PCs will have a photographic memory feature called Recall that will remember and understand everything you do on your computer by taking constant screenshots pic.twitter.com/Gubi4DGHcs
– Tsarathustra (@tsarnick) May 20, 2024
In a new update, Microsoft writes that Recall is moving 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.
Microsoft did add that it would make a preview of Recall available for all Copilot+ PCs after receiving feedback from the Windows Insider Community, though it never gave any timeframe for when this might be.
“We are adjusting the release model for Recall to leverage the expertise of the Windows Insider community to ensure the experience meets our high standards for quality and security,” Microsoft writes. “When Recall (preview) becomes available in the Windows Insider Program, we will publish a blog post with details on how to get the preview.”
There was a lot of hubris from Microsoft when it first unveiled Recall. This was, after all, supposed to be the headline feature of the AI-filled Copilot+ PCs, even though company researchers seemed to avoid discussions about its security implications.
It might be several months before a Recall preview is available on the Copilot+ PCs. Ironically, its absence might encourage more people to buy one of the Arm-based laptops.