The recall meant the latest microsoft controversy. The feature that will allow Copilot+ PCs to go back as if it were a rewind has not come without controversy, so much so that in the end the Redmond company has backtracked and will change its operation. Seen from another angle, it seems very useful and beneficial for productivity and Google has already looked at it with its own version called Pixel Screenshots.
This is one of their trump cards for the launch of the imminent Pixel 9 which will be released on August 13. While the Tensor G4 does not represent a big change in terms of performance, The appeal of Google’s new phones may lie in the software. I will do my best to get one to test the aforementioned feature and I have every reason to hope that time will come.
Recall would give Android full AI functionality
I understand that Recall as it has been understood is quite questionable, since no one wants a Big Brother monitoring every step, especially not on personal devices like a laptop or smartphone. However, moving away from the B side of Microsoft’s idea, it is one of the most useful AI features we’ve seen
If Google decided to give it a chance – but not before making a substantial change – it is because it saw that it could be used on Android, not in vain, many users use the smartphone as a work tool. Is there more trust in Google than in Microsoft? The risk to privacy will always be present, even if the Mountain View giant seems This will only allow it to work with screenshots taken by the user.
Is it losing some of its appe al? In my opinion, yes, but what we lose, we gain in health. This may be the turning point for us all to accept AI without batting an eyelid or doubting our privacy. In this, Apple gained a lot at WWDC 2024, because it showed – at least publicly – a certain concern for users, specifying that our information will be encrypted and will not pass into the hands of others.
Now, what reasons come to mind to love it so much? Ok, I don’t use my phones too intensively, but I still think it would be a great help to me for the following reasons:
- Improved task management: I browse a lot from my mobile and I have a flaw, which is to close everything as quickly as possible, which makes me lose part of my work because of a simple hobby. With screenshots on my Pixel, I would make up for the time lost searching in the browser history. In the end, daily tasks would be easier, including posting an image on social networks that I found and closed by mistake.
- Increase productivity: The Recall search engine may not be included in the Pixel, although that would be a mistake. The advantage of this function is not only that it remembers everything, but that it allows you to search for it by typing a keyword. I imagine taking a screenshot of a tweet for example, and a few days later being able to retrieve the information by typing a term. Simply brutal.
- Integration with other applications: Without yet knowing what the screenshots will look like in detail, we know that by analyzing the screenshots you will be able to recognize the text and images of any application. A very positive point, and one that gives more meaning to the visual recognition that AI is increasingly gaining.
- Innovation in user experience: Android’s interface and features have been a bit more conservative in recent years, refining a formula that should soon change due to the inclusion of AI. In this sense, and if it were added before the competition, it would give an air of innovation to our favorite platform.
All these reasons were born having Recall as reference. That Google decides to release its Pixel with a slightly more “lite” version? Okay, but they will probably end up giving in as soon as users start using it. Honestly, I find it to be one of the best AI applications focused on the device. Even the assistants do not promise as much – as they say to Gemini with absent functions compared to Google Assistant – and what better assistant than this tool to return to it when we need it.
Cover image | Composition with image by Iván Linares for Xataka
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