2024 was one of the most important years for Windows that we can remember. Even if Windows 12 was not ultimately released, what we received was even more revolutionary: Copilot+ PC, a new concept of personal computer based on Artificial Intelligence, both running in the cloud and, above all, 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 has been 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.
Reminder is a new feature in Windows 11 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 the time we met for a date, it is able to show 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 again. If we had chosen an airline for our vacation but just remembered that its name had “Wing,” you can find it. The potential is enormous, but questions immediately arose about how it would work.
Reminder works by taking screenshots from time to time in the background; Copilot’s AI is capable of analyzing the content of captures and thus finding what we are looking for. However, this raised questions about how this would affect our privacy. Basically, Microsoft announced that our own computer I was going to record everything we didwithout being able to modify it and without knowing how he used the data 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 the recall that should calm these fearsand better yet, it will provide options to users.
To begin with, the biggest change is that Reminder will no longer be enabled by defaultas it was originally. This was one of the biggest criticisms, because it meant many users wouldn’t know their computer was recording what they were doing in the background. When launching Recall, the user will have to activate it if they wish to use it; If we do not give permission, Recall will not be activated and will not record any captures.
This should be enough for many people, but Microsoft has taken several additional steps. For example, Recall is now protected so that no one else can see what we have done on the computer; Reminder can only be used if we unlock Windows Hellowhich requires our password or biometric identification such as a fingerprint or facial scanner. This way it prevents someone from using the computer while we are away and checking what we are doing.
Another important detail is that the recall will apply automatic censorship of sensitive data or confidential, so that they cannot be used or seen by anyone. Among the information that will not appear in the recall is personal identification such as identity or health information and credit card numbers.
Microsoft also recalled that Recall runs locally on the computer, and that data and screenshots remain in system memory; The company does not store this information on its servers. In fact, the latter means that Recall is only compatible with newer computers, with an NPU powerful enough to run AI; in other words, only computers that carry the Copilot+ PC brand.
This means that, if we have not changed computers recently, you will not receive a reminder during an update and we will not be able to activate it. The recall will first appear on computers equipped with a Qualcomm processor, for Windows Insider users (the development version of Windows), in October. The following month it will also be available to users equipped with the new Intel and AMD processors marked Copilot+ PC.
Microsoft hasn’t yet been able to give a consumer release date for Recall, although it hopes to be able to share it “soon.”