Is Windows 11's big AI feature dead? Nope, Microsoft tells us - Recall is arriving in October

Windows 11's Recall feature was put on ice following a whole lot of controversy after it was revealed, but Microsoft is ready to thaw out the ability for Copilot+ PCs, it seems.

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When did Microsoft first announce Recall? We don't remember, so we're going to ask Copilot (Image Credit: Microsoft)

Pavan Davuluri, who is Corporate VP of Windows and Devices at Microsoft, updated a previous blog post on Recall - where the news of the feature being pulled was given - to say that it's set to go live, at least in testing, in Windows 11 preview builds in October.

Davuluri explained:

"With a commitment to delivering a trustworthy and secure Recall (preview) experience on Copilot+ PCs for customers, we're sharing an update that Recall will be available to Windows Insiders starting in October."

The note goes on to say that security is the top priority with Recall, and when the feature goes back into a preview build, Microsoft is going to publish a blog post with more details on exactly how the security and privacy aspects that got the ability yanked have been shored up.

The timing is interesting, because in the past week, we've seen some chatter about Microsoft going quiet on Recall - and even some folks mulling whether it might even be canceled, or at least subject to a major rework.

Clearly, that was never going to be the case, but we've now got confirmation that it'll be back in testing soon enough. Well, to be fair, we're going to have to wait two months (maybe slightly less) until we see what Microsoft has been doing with Recall.

Forgotten Recall

In case you forgot - it's been a while, as mentioned - Recall is a supercharged AI-driven all-encompassing search experience powered by regularly taken screenshots of your desktop activity (or at least it was). It was announced as a key AI feature for Copilot+ PCs (as it requires a beefy NPU to run smoothly), and with those laptops being out on shelves now, this major piece of the puzzle going MIA wasn't a great look for Microsoft.

Still, we'd rather the software giant works hard on getting Recall right, rather than rushes it. If any feature shouldn't be rushed, it's this one.

Also bear in mind that it'll only be available to Windows 11 testers in October, and it could stay in preview for quite some time, perhaps many months, if Microsoft is going to go to lengths to get it right - which, as mentioned, seems like a sound idea.

There's a lot riding on Copilot+ PCs - and some predicted massive sales figures for these AI-centric notebooks going forward - but those forecasts of big year-on-year shipment increases won't happen if Microsoft messes up with the first major AI feature for the devices.

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