Microsoft’s recall feature is available to test users with Copilot+ PCs equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon chips.
Jordan Nove | CNBC
microsoft on Friday began testing Recall, the latest Copilot+ so-called photo memory retrieval feature for PCs. Based on initial evaluation, it’s not fully functional.
It’s been a while too. Microsoft first touted Recall in May as a prominent feature available only on cutting-edge Copilot+ PCs running the Windows 11 operating system, including the latest Surface Pro. Executives say Recall uses artificial intelligence to take screenshots of your computer screen so you can later use keywords to search for words or objects in previously viewed images. He says he will.
But backlash from cybersecurity experts about the potential risks of the recall prompted Microsoft to revamp the recall. The company encrypted Recall’s underlying database and set the feature to be turned off by default. Microsoft announced in August that Recall would reach testers in October.
This feature is now available to certain Copilot+ users. People whose computers contain: Qualcomm Snapdragon chips and neural processing units for AI tasks can be installed by downloading the build that comes with Recall. To be eligible, your PC must be enrolled in the Windows Insider Program development channel. Copilot+ PC and AMD or intel Chip is out of luck so far.
Microsoft publishes pre-release software like this to give early adopters a chance to try it out and iron out any shortcomings before it’s released to the public. According to the blog post, Recall does not work with some accessibility programs, and if you tell Recall not to save content from certain websites, the content may be captured while using the built-in Edge browser. It is said that there is.
That’s not the only problem. Other issues I noticed are:
When you turn on Recall, you might expect everything you last watched to be recorded on your computer, but a few minutes may have passed between taking the snapshots, causing gaps in your timeline. may remain. Recall allows you to prevent screenshots from being taken when: Accessing a specific app. However, some apps installed on your Surface Pro don’t appear in that list. When you enter a search string to search for a word, the results may be incomplete or inaccurate. Recall had two screen images that clearly mentioned “Yankees,” but when I typed it into the search box, only one of them showed up as a text match. When I entered my last name, eight images appeared, but Recall only showed two text matches. While I was scrolling through posts on the social network BlueSky, Recall took screenshots, one of which included a photo of a New York street scene. You can see traffic lights, chimneys and road signs. I typed each into the search box, but Recall didn’t yield any results. Even when I tried slightly different terms like “light” and “sign,” Recall couldn’t show me what I was looking for. However, when I typed “one way,” Recall showed me a screenshot. The search feature is fast, but flipping through snapshots in Recall isn’t. When you swipe between screenshots, it may take a few seconds for the screenshots to load.
Microsoft did not immediately comment on this article.
If positive results are achieved despite initial problems, Recall can be useful and interesting. If you want to return to the app or web link you were viewing when you took the screenshot, you can click the button below the image to return to that moment.
WATCH: Microsoft releases controversial Windows Recall AI search feature to testers in October
