Windows Recall has been delayed

Microsoft’s plans to release Windows Recall have been delayed. The feature was originally supposed to be added to Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs by an update but the release has been delayed.

Windows Recall is a feature designed to let users quickly revisit webpages and other content they’ve previously looked at.  Recall takes a screenshot every five seconds and analyses it, so if you later ask Windows Recall “When did you last see X thing?” it can find that thing for you quickly.

The ability to return to previously viewed content can be useful, as it’s easy to forget where you saw something previously, but the prospect raises some major security concerns.  Recall takes all of the information you’ve seen on the computer and stores it for analysis, and this means that sensitive data you’ve looked at is far more difficult to delete or keep hidden.  If the data collected by Recall is stolen, it could reveal everything you’ve had on your screen.  Yes, everything.

After a major backlash over these issues, Recall has been made opt-in, requiring users to enable it rather than being on by default. Additionally, Recall has been made part of the Windows Insider program for now, making it only available to specific users who test features before full release.

If you have any questions or concerns about Recall or privacy in general, just get in touch.