Microsoft has canceled the wide release of Recall — the controversial Copilot+ PC tool that takes regular snapshots of a machine to create a record of everything users do with their machines — and will instead make it available only to Windows Insiders for the foreseeable future.
Recall was announced on May 20, when Redmond touted it as a handy tool that helps users do things like remember the name of that really cool website they visited last week but didn’t bookmark, or find the email they sent to The register with a really great signal. Recall uses AI to figure out queries that should, in theory, find that website or email — or anything else users have done on their computers and want to find.
This idea was not met with enthusiasm. Instead, it quickly sparked controversy after an FAQ was discovered in which Microsoft admitted the tool could also record passwords or personal data – such as bank account numbers. The prospect that anyone who can log into a computer running Recall can access such data has obvious privacy implications.
The criticism came thick and fast.
The recall was announced on the same day as the Copilot+ PC — Redmond’s term for a machine equipped with a 40-TOPS NPU tuned to handle AI applications — and offered as a demonstration of the power of those machines.
However, Tinkerers quickly discovered that Recall could run on more modest hardware – meaning more computers could be at risk once the tool is widely released.
Microsoft’s woes only deepened when it was discovered that the tool was turned on by default and disabling it required a deep trip into Windows settings. There are dragons.
A build-up ensued. Analysts suggest that Microsoft has made a big mistake. Science fiction author Charles Strauss – who sometimes mentions The register in his work – opined that Recall is a lawyer’s delight because the fact that it records everything means that every action taken with a computer will be available for discovery during trial preparation.
Microsoft strongly supported Recall for 17 days, but on June 17 the mega-developer backed down and announced that the tool would be turned on instead of on by default, and also introduced additional security safeguards — such as getting Recall results only after authentication , and never decrypting data stored by the tool until requested.
These decisions did not end criticism of Recall, as Microsoft’s obliviousness to privacy issues was not thought to reflect well on its culture.
On Thursday, the embattled software titan took another step back: an update to the announcement to return Recall to an opt-in option brought news that the tool will not be delivered to all Copilot+ PC users as of June 18.
Instead, Recall will be delivered to members of the Windows Insider program “in the coming weeks.”
After these dedicated Windows fans get to grips with the recall and offer feedback, a preview for all Copilot+ PCs will be “anticipated soon,” according to Microsoft’s enterprise specialist for Windows+ devices, Pavan Davuluri.
Delaying Recall’s debut is unwelcome for Microsoft after it decided to go it alone by coining its own term – Copilot+ PC – at a time when its key silicon partners Intel and AMD were keen on ‘AI PCs’.
The first Copilot+ PCs to be announced, however, were powered by Qualcomm’s silicon — a major move for the chip design firm, which dominates mobile devices but has struggled to break into the PC market.
In the weeks since the Recall caused such consternation, it, and now Qualcomm-powered PCs, have been a much more prevalent topic of discussion than the merits of these new machines.
And now Qualcomm’s best won’t immediately get the app that Microsoft is showing them to its best advantage.
It could be months before they do. Between the small size of the Windows Insider community relative to the entire Windows user base and the fact that Recall requires a Copilot+ PC, not many people will be able to try out the tool in the next few weeks. ®
