Microsoft’s Recall Feature Is Not Dead, Only Delayed Till October

What to know

Microsoft breaks silence over its controversial Recall AI feature on Windows, delays release.
Recall will be available to Windows Insiders for testing in October.
Microsoft is looking to implement privacy safeguards before beta testing.

Microsoft has finally announced that its Recall AI feature will be delayed by a few months. Originally set to launch with Copilot+ PCs in June 2024, the company now plans to make Recall available to Windows Insiders for testing no sooner than October.

To recap, Recall is an AI-powered tool designed to capture screenshots of user activity on Windows PCs every few seconds, creating a searchable timeline. However, the feature has faced criticism over potential privacy and security risks.

Microsoft tried to address some of these concerns by implementing several general changes to Recall, including making it an opt-in feature rather than one enabled by default, encrypting the Recall database, and requiring Windows Hello authentication for access.

Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft’s Windows and Devices VP, stated that security remains the company’s “top priority“. The delay will allow Microsoft more time to ensure Recall meets their “high standards for quality and security“.

The decision to postpone Recall’s release comes amid broader discussions about Microsoft’s commitment to security. The company recently pledged to prioritize security over new AI features as part of its Secure Future Initiative.

While the exact date for Recall’s availability to Windows Insiders in October has not been specified, Microsoft has promised to provide more details in a future blog post. The timeline for a wider release to all users remains uncertain and will likely depend on the results of the testing phase.

This delay highlights the challenges tech companies face in balancing innovation with privacy and security concerns in the rapidly evolving field of AI technology.