In response to mounting privacy concerns, Microsoft has opted to delay the introduction of its Recall feature from the first wave of Copilot+ PCs, instead choosing to fully test it within the Windows Insider program before rolling it out to the broader public.
An update on June 13th to a blog post initially published on June 7th indicates that Recall will now debut as a preview to Insider program participants “in the coming weeks.”
Originally, Recall was meant to be the standout feature of the Windows 11 update for the new Copilot+ PCs. Leveraging the NPUs in Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors and later Intel and AMD chips, Recall acted like a personalized search engine for your PC. Despite its theoretical appeal, Recall drew criticism for its substantial storage demands and the fact that it was enabled by default, capturing desktop snapshots and storing them locally.
In response to backlash, Microsoft announced that Recall would be turned off by default, would require Windows Hello for access, and would employ just-in-time decryption to enhance data security. This was seen as a retreat, and the latest update pushes Recall’s implementation even further back.
Microsoft maintains its intention to “make Recall (preview) available to all Copilot+ PCs soon,” emphasizing that the delay is “rooted in our commitment to providing a trusted, secure, and robust experience for all customers and to seek additional feedback prior to making the feature available to all Copilot+ PC users.”
This decision is likely to disappoint both those eager to explore Copilot+ — including preorder customers — and critics who remain wary of Recall’s potential privacy implications.