Microsoft again delays Recall feature, says it will arrive for Windows Insiders on Copilot Plus PCs in December

Microsoft Recall
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft has delayed its controversial Recall feature for Copilot+ PCs mulitple times by now, and on Thursday it said that it would delay it by several more weeks again, as it needs more time to make it more secure. Microsoft now plans to make its Recall feature available for Windows Insiders by December, reports The Verge

Initially scheduled for a June rollout, Recall — a feature that screenshots everything that happens on the disply of a Copilot+ PC — has faced repeated setbacks as Microsoft worked to address privacy and security concerns. Key updates include making Recall an entirely opt-in feature on Copilot Plus PCs, with options allowing users to fully uninstall the tool. However, the feature was not launched this Summer and was delayed to October. Now, it is delayed till December even for participants of the Windows Insider program. 

"We are committed to delivering a secure and trusted experience with Recall," a statement by Microsoft published by The Verge reads. "To ensure we deliver on these important updates, we are taking additional time to refine the experience before previewing it with Windows Insiders. Originally planned for October, Recall will now be available for preview with Windows Insiders on Copilot+ PCs by December." 

Recall is designed to capture screenshots of actions on Copilot+ PCs, giving users a timeline view of their recent activity. The feature uses local AI models embedded in Windows 11, enabling users to search and retrieve past content to look back on specific tasks, meetings, or other daily activities directly from their PCs. But what if someone else gets access to that database? 

The latest security improvements focus on protecting the Recall database, which is a visual repository of user activity. Microsoft has added encryption and restricted access through Windows Hello authentication to ensure that data within Recall remains safe and accessible only to the authenticated user. 

While Microsoft is taking steps to make its Recall feature as safe as possible, there will be users who will believe that this is not enough. To address such concerns, Microsoft will not make recall a mandatory feature of Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft also clarified that Recall will not be turned on by default on Windows 11 24H2 PCs (as rumored) and will remain optional. 

The Verge also claims that bugs have also surfaced after Microsoft pulled Recall from its slated June launch. These issues have affected how Recall appears and functions within Windows 11, which is another reason why Microsoft had to delay the rollout of the feature.

Anton Shilov
Contributing Writer

Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    All this time and money on a feature maybe 1% of users will use instead of spending the same time and money on features 99% people strongly desire. Microsoft in 2024...
    Reply
  • snemarch
    Dear Microsoft, please stop delaying this "feature".

    Instead, scrap it, and gut all the people who signed off on it in the first place, including the layers including and above Vice Presidents.
    Reply
  • EzzyB
    Given the data that this thing collects, it will be the most hammered target of security researches in history.
    Reply
  • JRStern
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    All this time and money on a feature maybe 1% of users will use instead of spending the same time and money on features 99% people strongly desire. Microsoft in 2024...
    I can see that it would be useful now and then but it has to be the least efficient thing I ever heard of.

    And didn't someone say that it makes great training data for an AI? There's some high concept right there, but I'll bet that was the argument that got it approved.
    Reply
  • umeng2002_2
    I hope it's delayed until the second coming of Christ.
    Reply
  • Giroro
    A bad idea is a bad idea.
    Even if Microsoft wasted another $10 Billion of their investors' money on Recall, it would still repel more users than it gains.

    No corporation or government on Earth would ever touch this. This data land-grab will cited as justification to avoid all other Microsoft products, like office and Azure.
    Where does Microsoft think their money comes from? How much could a copy of jhonny 6-pack's vacation photos really be worth compared to the risk of losing even a single fortune 500 company as a customer?
    Reply
  • rluker5
    I generally use Edge, but I don't like how it shares some things across my PCs at home, so when I want to check out things that I don't want to share I just use a different browser and I don't have to worry. At least until this Recall feature decides it wants to recall what I've been doing behind closed doors - on another PC in the living room when company is over. I would prefer to avoid such embarrassing situations if at all possible.

    I will be looking for ways to disable or avoid Recall when it gets introduced. I also imagine it will be an intermittent drain on resources so others will also be motivated to do the same.
    Reply
  • kyzarvs
    I don't normally go all reactionary on stuff - but from this article, MS is only NOW adding encryption to the DB of all of your history?

    Really?

    Wow...
    Reply
  • JeffreyP55
    Admin said:
    Microsoft says Recall will be available for Windows Insiders in December.

    Microsoft again delays Recall feature, says it will arrive for Windows Insiders on Copilot Plus PCs in December : Read more
    Co-pilot remains disabled and shall remain that way until I feel it is useful. Paying fees to grow a spare brain is not for me.
    25 years ago I would never consider buying AMD anything. Shoes is now on the other foot. Intel has lost me as a customer. for CPU's.
    Reply
  • RaiderB0t
    This product is clearly only for training AI and reporting its learning's back to MS. In no way shape or form, do we as humans need to know what we clicked on last week, what spreadsheet we worked on last month, or search for the last time we logged into our bank account. This infuriating "feature" alone will assist in driving users into the sweet embrace of Tux, in any form.
    Reply