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Infamous Windows Recall feature to return in October

Windows Recall will return to Windows Insiders in October (Image source: Microsoft)
Windows Recall will return to Windows Insiders in October (Image source: Microsoft)
Supposed to launch on June 18 with Copilot+ PCs, the controversial Windows Recall feature now has a new date of arrival. Scheduled to return in October, this piece of code for NPU-equipped hardware will only be available to Windows Insiders Program subscribers, with an all-out launch forecasted for 2025.

Back in June, the Windows Recall feature received a huge amount of backlash, with many considering it spyware instead of a new AI-driven feature. As a consequence, Microsoft launched Copilot+ PCs without the feature but also mentioned that it will return as an opt-in (instead of opt-out, as supposed to launch) piece of code via the Windows Insider Program. Back then, they specified no date for this. This week, that changed: Windows Recall will return in October.

"Security continues to be our top priority and when Recall is available for Windows Insiders in October we will publish a blog with more details," wrote Windows + Devices Corporate VP Pavan Davuluri in an update to the original blog post that was posted on June 7. The highlights of the improvements to this controversial feature include a clearer opt-in choice for saving snapshots, Windows Hello enrollment as a requirement to enable it, as well as additional data protection, including Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) encryption. The search database is also encrypted.

Unfortunately, using the Windows Recall feature still has quite restrictive hardware requirements. While some people managed to use ARM emulators to run it on Snapdragon X processors, and this might be possible for other hardware platforms as well, this piece of code needs Intel Lunar Lake or AMD Strix Point hardware. It remains to be seen if Microsoft will manage to do something about that until Windows Recall finally becomes available for everyone, which is supposed to happen next year.

Those who want to find out more about the topic can get Bryan J. Silva's Microsoft Copilot: Mastering the AI Revolution in Office 365, Strategies for Innovation, Knowledge and Lifelong Learning, which currently goes for free with Kindle Unlimited (or $9.99 to buy) and $18.90 in paperback format.

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Codrut Nistor, 2024-08-23 (Update: 2024-08-23)