In a move that has surprised few, Microsoft has once again delayed the rollout of its controversial Recall feature for Copilot AI PCs. Initially planned for a June release to coincide with the new Copilot+PCs launch, Recall was then postponed to October while Microsoft addressed initial concerns around privacy and security.
This week however, Microsoft has yet again delayed this again with testing for Windows Insiders coming (so we are told) in December, which unfortunately falls after Ignite.
Security Concerns and Refinements
Recall’s primary value is to create a timeline of screenshots that users can scroll through and search. However, early testing revealed by security researchers discovered that the core database storing these screenshots and tagging was not encrypted, posing a massive security risk.
Microsoft have since addressed this by fully encrypting the database and requiring Windows Hello authentication for access.
Microsoft have also confirmed that Recall will now be an opt-in feature, allowing users to completely uninstall it if they choose.
Microsoft’s Cautious Approach
Brandon LeBlanc, senior product manager of Windows, enforced Microsoft’s commitment to delivering a secure and trusted experience with Recall.
Microsoft need to get this right in order to maintain trust with its customer base. He stated that the additional time is necessary to refine the feature before previewing it with Windows Insiders. Despite these assurances, social media shows huge skepticism about whether Microsoft will meet the new December deadline and even if they might scrap the feature all together. This will be a shame, as the value around it looks. Promising and is really ( currently) the one killer reason consumers were looking at when looking at investing in Copilot+ PCs outside of the huge battery life that these Qualcomm Snapdragon Powered devices deliver.
The verge covered this in an exclusive interview
Wider AI privacy concerns
The repeated delays and security issues surrounding Recall highlight broader concerns within the AI industry.
There is a growing perception that companies are rushing to release new features without fully considering the potential consequences.
Microsoft’s cautious approach with Recall is a step in the right direction, but it also underscores the need for more rigorous testing and security measures in AI development.
Will Recall still be exclusive to Copilot+ PCs?
That’s a good question.
When Microsoft announced the Copilot+PC back in June, Recall was the flagship feature and it was unique to the device’s (and kinda stole the show).
Since then AMD and Intel have released their new AI PC chipsets offering similar NPU performance to the Snapdragon chips in Copilot+ PCs like Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7.
We now have NPU turbocharged PCs with Snapdragon® X Series, AMD Ryzen™ AI 300 Series and Intel® Core™ Ultra 200V Series devices after all.
We don’t know if this will remain an exclusive (I don’t see why it would) and if all the “exclusive AI features” that are part of Windows 11 24H2 will soon be lit up in any decide with a dedicated NPU.
From what I can… It will be supported… But some features are limited to Snapdragon, so we will have to wait and see….
Coming soon then… Or will it?
While the future of Recall still remains uncertain, Microsoft’s efforts to address security concerns and refine the feature are commendable, I just hope they haven’t missed the boat. We’ve already seen Apple quietly move forward with Apple Intelligence (clever) and it’s now embedded in MacOS. Microsoft need to move quick and innovate here to regain confidence and innovative is their mission to empower every person on the planet to achieve more (with their technology)!
Consumers, IT professionals, industry experts and social media will be keenly observing whether the Recall gets the release and value reputation it received back in June, with a secure and functional version of Recall to define what AI can really do in Windows.
I hope succeeds and brings life to the new AI PCs and Copilot+PCs or of it quietly gets canceled as skeptics seem to think…