Windows 11 will resume Recall AI testing with Copilot+ PCs in October

• Microsoft will start testing Windows Recall in October.
• The feature will be available as a preview for Copilot+ PCs.
• The company isn’t giving specific details about the new changes.

Microsoft didn’t abandon its Recall AI feature for Windows 11. The company now says it’ll be available as a preview for testers in October. Originally, the software giant wanted to make available Recall as the main selling feature for the Copilot+ PCs, but due to security concerns, the feature didn’t make it, and the ARM-based devices began shipping without the most anticipated.

The company first showed off Windows Recall at its Surface and Windows press event. However, shortly after the event, it was discovered that the feature had many security risks since the snapshots and database were easily accessible and stored in clear text, which could make it easier for hackers to target this data and scrape your information using malicious applications.

Following the security and privacy concerns, on June 13, Microsoft removed the feature from the preview builds of Windows 11 and said that it would take more time to make sure that the feature could deliver a trustworthy experience. However, after a few months, the company promised that a new preview would be released in October, but only for testers using Copilot+ PCs.

Windows Recall is a feature that uses AI to track all your activities across applications. It then makes everything you have done on your computer searchable using natural language through the “Recall” app, which uses a timeline-like interface to help you find virtually anything.

The company doesn’t go deep into details about the delay, but note that security is a top priority, and more information will be available in October. Also, since the feature will only be available as a preview, it’s unclear whether the feature will launch at some point in 2024 or if it’s something that users will have to wait until 2025.

As part of the changes, it’s expected that the system will now maintain the semantic database encrypted, and you will have to use the Windows Hello authentication option to unlock the “Recall” app and access your information.

It’s important to note that Windows Recall won’t be enabled by default. Instead, it’ll be a feature that you will have to opt in manually, and you will be able to turn Recall off at any time. Furthermore, a system icon always shows if the feature is running on the computer.

Since Microsoft announced the Windows Recall feature, other companies like Apple and Google are also working on similar experiences but with different approaches.

For example, Google has announced “Screenshots” for Android, which, instead of taking screenshots of everything you do on your computer, the feature will only use on-device AI to analyze the screenshots you take on the phone to make it easier to recall something you want to capture when you have taken the screenshot.

On the other hand, Apple has already announced its suite of AI features known as Apple Intelligence, which, among other things, can look into what you’re doing on your phone and across applications to take action on your behalf. Also, similar to Windows Recall, Apple Intelligence also creates an on-device semantic database to organize your personal data across applications and helps language models best assist you.