Signal, the secure messaging app renowned for end-to-end encryption and user privacy, is making headlines again—this time for actively blocking Windows Recall, a controversial feature arriving with Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs. The feature captures continuous screenshots every few seconds, allowing users to scroll back through their digital activity. While intriguing in concept, Recall has become one of the most divisive features in Microsoft’s recent memory, drawing intense criticism for the potential privacy risks it introduces. Signal’s response? Make itself invisible to Recall’s gaze.
The latest version of Signal’s Windows app takes full advantage of a built-in DRM-like toggle within the Windows Recall API, which lets apps prevent their contents from being recorded. When Recall tries to take a snapshot of the Signal window, all it captures is a blank black screen—just like when you try to screenshot Netflix. This ensures that private conversations remain private, regardless of what other systems on the PC may be monitoring in the background. Signal is hardly being subversive here—it’s simply using Microsoft’s own tools to opt out of what it views as an intrusive default behavior.
Joshua Lund, a developer at Signal, made it clear that this move is both a technical safeguard and a philosophical stance. He explained that because apps can’t finely control what Recall captures, the only viable option was to prevent screen capture entirely. Still, Signal recognizes that this could interfere with accessibility features, so the app includes a setting (Settings > Privacy > Screen security) that users can toggle off—if they’re willing to click through a verification prompt that makes clear the privacy trade-off.
Lund’s criticism of Microsoft was especially pointed, calling Recall’s approach the kind of idea one might expect from an AI simply told to “add AI features for investor satisfaction.” His words serve as a reminder that even small privacy erosions can have big consequences—and that companies like Signal must remain vigilant. If future updates to Windows make it harder or even impossible to protect user data, he warned, Signal may be forced to walk away from the platform entirely. It’s a harsh but honest stance from a company that’s long put user trust above platform politics.