2024 has been one of the most important years for Windows that we remember. Although in the end Windows 12 has not been released, what we have received has been even more revolutionary: Copilot+ PC, a new concept of personal computer based on Artificial Intelligence, both running in the cloud and, more importantly, running locally thanks to the new processors from Qualcomm, Intel and AMD.
With Copìlot+ PC, users have access to advanced AI functions directly on their computer; For the first time in many years, there are compelling reasons to buy a new laptop. However, not everything was so pretty for Microsoft, which had to face a lot of controversy in the first weeks because of one of the most striking features of Copilot+ PC: Recall.
Recall is a new Windows 11 feature that is able to ‘remember’ everything we have done on the computer, and presents it to us when we need it. If we have forgotten what time we met for an appointment, it is capable of showing us the conversation we had, for example. If a few hours ago we saw a photo that we liked but we forgot to save it, we can find it. If we had decided on an airline for our vacation but just remembered that it had “Wing” in the name, you can find it. The potential is tremendous, but there were immediately questions about how it would work.
Recall works by taking screenshots every so often in the background; Copilot’s AI is capable of analyzing the content of the captures and in that way, find what we are looking for. However, that raised questions about how it would affect our privacy. Basically, Microsoft had announced that our own computer I was going to record everything we didwithout being able to change it and without knowing how it was using the data it obtained.
In response to the controversy, Microsoft decided to delay the launch of Recall, to answer these questions about privacy. Finally, today the company announced Major changes to Recall that should calm these fearsand best of all, it will offer users options.
Recall in Windows 11 Microsoft The Free Android
To begin with, the biggest change is that Recall will no longer be activated by defaultas was originally the case. That was one of the biggest criticisms, since it meant that many users would not know that their computer was recording what they did in the background. When Recall is launched, the user will have to activate it if they want to use it; If we do not give permission, Recall will not be activated and will not record any capture.
That alone should be enough for many people, but Microsoft has taken several more steps. For example, now Recall is protected so that no one else can see what we have done on the computer; Recall can only be used if we unlock Windows Hellowhich requires our password or a biometric identification such as a fingerprint or a face scanner. In this way, it prevents someone from using the computer while we are away and checking what we were doing.
Another important detail is that Recall will apply automatic censorship of sensitive data or confidential, so that they cannot be used or anyone can see them. Among the information that will not appear in Recall is personal identification such as ID or health information, and credit card numbers.
Microsoft has also reminded that Recall works locally on the computer, and that the data and screenshots remain in the system memory; The company does not keep that information on its servers. In fact, the latter means that Recall is only compatible with newer computers, which have an NPU powerful enough to run the AI; in other words, only computers that have the Copilot+ PC brand.
That means that, if we haven’t changed our computer recently, you will not receive Recall on an update and we will not be able to activate it. Recall will appear first on computers with a Qualcomm processor, for Windows Insider users (the development version of Windows), in the month of October. The following month, it will also be available to users with the new Intel and AMD processors marked as Copilot+ PC.
Microsoft has not yet been able to give a general public release date for Recall, although it hopes to be able to share it “soon.”
