Just before the weekend, Microsoft announced it was making changes to the controversial incoming Windows 11 features that will be exclusive to the company's Copilot+ PCs.
That feature is Windows Recall, which is a Copilot+ PC tool that enables users to access different times on their PC through screenshots the PC is continuously snapping. These snapshots are of the users desktop and don't hide any potential sensitive information, and are also stored in a single folder. Security researchers and the public raised serious concerns with Microsoft about the potential of hackers gaining access to the folder and the ramifications that could follow.
Microsoft has since responded and said it is adding additional security measures and encryption to Recall, making it much harder for a bad actor to gain access to Recall's data stored on a user's PC. Now, Microsoft has quietly pulled the build of Windows 11 24H2 update, which contains the Recall feature and was being tested in its Release Preview channel - usually the last stop before a Windows update is rolled out the public.
While Microsoft didn't specifically say it was pulling the update to fix the Windows Recall feature, it appears that is the case, or is simply just a massive coincidence given the company's recent statement regarding the controversial feature. Notably, if you have already installed Windows 11 24H2, it will still work. Microsoft just isn't offering the update to new users who have opted into the Release Preview channel and are running older versions, such as 22H2 or 23H2.