I recently had the opportunity to experience a demonstration of Recall, and I must say, it exceeded my expectations in terms of polish and functionality. Recall, a feature introduced by Microsoft this year, has stirred quite a bit of discussion. Essentially, it serves as a personal digital scrapbook, capturing frequent screenshots and saving snapshots of your PC activity for easy access later. With its innovative timeline scrubber, users can effortlessly scroll through their daily activities, and the natural language search capability allows for intuitive retrieval of specific information from their Recall history.
Despite its intriguing features, Recall has not been without its critics. Some security experts have raised alarms, suggesting that the tool could potentially provide hackers with a pathway to user data. In light of these concerns, Microsoft has taken proactive measures, delaying the rollout of Recall to enhance its security. One significant improvement includes the requirement of Windows Hello, which utilizes biometric authentication methods such as fingerprint scanning and facial recognition to access Recall.
Windows Recall demo with Microsoft
During a recent press event, I witnessed a Microsoft representative showcase Recall in action. The demonstration illustrated a practical scenario where the rep was interested in participating in the Boston Marathon but had forgotten to save a PowerPoint itinerary. By simply launching Recall and searching for the term “itinerary,” he was able to retrieve the relevant information, as the AI recognized the word within the screenshots stored in his timeline.
Impressively, Recall can even identify images based on descriptive searches. For instance, when the rep typed “Chart with purple arrow,” the system located a document featuring the specified chart, despite the exact phrase not being present in the timeline. While these capabilities are certainly noteworthy, three particular features truly captured my attention.
1. You can access links in Recall’s search results
Once the search results are displayed in Recall, users can click on a screenshot, and a button will allow them to access the associated URL. For example, if you’re trying to find that intriguing Mashable article about the “Lover Girl” dating trend but forgot to bookmark it, simply typing “couple in love” into Recall will not only show you the screenshot of the article but also provide a direct link to it via Microsoft Edge. Additionally, Recall can retrieve locally stored files by clicking on the corresponding screenshot of a saved document.
2. Recall screenshots are interactive
Another impressive feature is the interactivity of Recall’s screenshots. Users can engage with captured documents, webpages, and more without leaving the Recall interface. For example, if a screenshot contains a PDF, there’s no need to open the actual document to interact with it. Text within the screenshot can be copied and pasted, and URLs can be clicked directly.
3. Don’t worry about storage
Concerns about storage usage are common, but the Microsoft representative assured me that users can manage Recall’s storage impact through the Settings menu. Options are available to limit Recall’s storage footprint, allowing users to set thresholds of 25GB, 50GB, 75GB, 100GB, or 150GB. The representative noted that 150GB could accommodate over a year’s worth of snapshots, while 25GB would suffice for several months of data.
Recall’s privacy and security
In response to privacy concerns, Microsoft has implemented several updates to Recall to bolster its security. Access to Recall now requires a Windows Hello login, and users must opt-in to activate the feature, which is not enabled by default. Moreover, users have the option to uninstall Recall if desired. The data captured by Recall is encrypted and stored in a secure environment known as a “VBS Enclave,” ensuring that screenshots remain protected from third-party access. Notably, AI processing for Recall occurs on-device, meaning Microsoft does not upload user data to the cloud.
It is important to note that Recall is only supported on Copilot+ PCs, such as the Surface Laptop 7, which are equipped to handle on-device AI processing due to their dedicated NPUs.
How to get Recall
In my attempt to access Recall on my Surface Laptop 7, I found the process to be somewhat intricate. First, I needed to sign up for a free Windows Insider membership. Following that, I had to ensure my system was updated to the latest Windows version. However, as Microsoft is rolling out Recall to Windows Insiders in phases, I have yet to see it appear on my machine, which was a bit disappointing.
Is Recall on its way to redemption?
Microsoft faces the challenge of rehabilitating Recall’s reputation, which has been described by some as creepy, dystopian, and gimmicky. Nevertheless, there remains a segment of users who are hopeful about its potential utility. Personally, I find myself in that optimistic camp; I often encounter situations where I browse the internet, neglect to bookmark or save something, and subsequently struggle to relocate it. For individuals like me, who grapple with forgetfulness, Recall could indeed emerge as a valuable ally in moments of memory lapse.
