Microsoft Increases Access to the AI-Powered Windows Recall Feature

After first making its Windows Recall feature available to customers with Snapdragon-powered computers, Microsoft has now extended its reach to Copilot+ PCs with AMD and Intel chipsets. Additionally, it has now debuted in Europe. Within the Windows Insiders testing community, the launch is a preview phase of a phased rollout.

PC users can record everything they do on their PCs with Recall, an AI-powered function that lets them review a preferred "snapshot" of their activity at a later time. As Microsoft noted in its Dec. 6 expansion announcement, it's a helpful tool: "It's now possible to quickly find and get back to apps, websites, images, or documents just by describing its content." However, the ability has also spurred ongoing concerns about privacy and data security (Microsoft keeps and hosts the recorded content in the cloud), as well as the potential for the feature to be compromised and used for cyber espionage.

Data encryption, turning Recall off by default, and forcing users to sign up for Windows Hello biometrics verification to confirm that they are at the keyboard during recording are just a few of the enhanced privacy and security measures the tech giant added to Recall in June. These modifications imply that the IT behemoth is paying attention to their worries. It also put it in its bug bounty program to identify exploitable security vulnerabilities. Microsoft has responded to the concerns by postponing the launch; Redmond moved the intended June release date of Recall to October and then to November when it was finally released in a limited edition.