Microsoft has officially rolled out its Recall feature for all Copilot Plus PCs, a long-anticipated addition that aims to enhance the user experience by tracking activities on the device.
Originally scheduled to launch alongside Copilot Plus PCs in June of last year, the rollout faced delays due to security concerns voiced by researchers.
Initially planned for public testing in October, the launch was pushed back further to November, allowing the tech giant additional time to bolster security measures surrounding Recall.
After almost a year focused on refining this feature, Microsoft has made Recall an opt-in experience, allowing users to choose whether or not to enable it based on privacy considerations.
Recall is designed to help users seamlessly pick up where they left off, categorizing and storing snapshots of user activities to facilitate easier searching later.
Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows Experiences, Navjot Virk, stated that Recall addresses a common frustration many users face when trying to find where they left off in their tasks.
In terms of functionality, Recall vastly improves the Windows search interface by utilizing advanced technology that can understand images and content more naturally than traditional search methods, enabling searches based on vague memories rather than exact file names.
While testing Recall, I observed that the feature is impressively advanced, cleverly designed, and, at times, somewhat unsettling.
As the tool retains significant information about user activity, one must carefully manage which apps and websites are included in this stored data to mitigate privacy risks.
Security researcher Kevin Beaumont, who was among those expressing initial concerns regarding Recall, has recently tested the final version and noted extensive security enhancements.
According to Beaumont, Microsoft has implemented serious measures to secure Recall, including database encryption and default filtering of sensitive data, along with making it an opt-in feature.
However, he cautions that the effectiveness of this filtering can be inconsistent and sometimes buggy.
Additionally, users can access Recall using a simple four-digit PIN through Windows Hello, rather than being required to use more secure methods like facial recognition or fingerprint scanning.
Despite claims from Microsoft stating that at least one biometric sign-in option must be enabled for Recall to work, these requirements provide users with some flexibility in accessing the feature.
In conjunction with Recall, Microsoft has also improved the AI-powered Windows search functionality for Copilot Plus PCs.
Users can now utilize natural language queries in the File Explorer, Windows search box, and settings, enabling them to search using descriptive terms rather than specific file names or settings.
For instance, if a user is searching for an image of their brown dog, they can simply input “brown dog,” making for a much smoother experience than previously available.
Another feature rolled out today is Click to Do, which closely resembles Google’s Circle to Search.
Users can activate this feature by pressing the Windows key and clicking the left mouse button, allowing them to perform actions based on the text or images present on their screen.
This functionality encompasses summarizing text and swiftly removing objects from images, thereby offering a more interactive experience.
While Recall, improved Windows search, and Click to Do are available across all Copilot Plus PCs, the text actions in Click to Do are initially exclusive to Qualcomm-powered devices.
Owners of AMD- and Intel-powered Copilot Plus PCs can expect to receive this feature in the coming months.
Both Recall and Click to Do will be available in multiple languages and regions but will not launch in EU countries or Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway until later this year.
image source from：https://www.theverge.com/news/656106/microsoft-recall-copilot-plus-pc-available
