Microsoft delays Recall to test it with the Windows Insider Program and won't ship it with Copilot+ PCs next week, after saying it would make the feature opt-in
Microsoft is planning to launch its new Copilot Plus PCs next week without its controversial Recall feature that screenshots everything you do on these new laptops.
The Verge Tom Warren
Context & Ripple Effects
Recall was initially positioned as part of the Copilot+ PC launch, but Microsoft had already said participation would be optional. This delay separates the new hardware platform’s debut from its most privacy-sensitive AI capability.
The decision began a longer staged-release path: Recall was later targeted again for Windows Insiders, reached a first beta preview, and ultimately became available across Copilot+ PCs. That sequence makes this an early test of whether Microsoft could earn trust before broad distribution.
First-order effects
- Copilot+ PCs launch without Recall, so buyers and PC partners cannot treat the screenshot-based feature as an immediately available part of the new platform.
- Microsoft moves Recall into Windows Insider testing, gaining a narrower channel to assess the opt-in experience before wider release.
Second-order effects
- The absence of Recall weakens the near-term differentiation of Copilot+ hardware, placing more weight on the other capabilities available at launch.
- A public Insider phase makes privacy and security feedback a practical gate for Windows AI features; later product timing becomes contingent on whether that testing supports a broader rollout.
Third-order effects
- If staged releases become standard for sensitive on-device AI, major platform launches may increasingly decouple hardware availability from marquee AI features.
- The episode points to a governance model in which consent, testing access, and rollout controls are product requirements for AI that handles personal computing activity.
The trend: Consumer AI platforms are moving toward gated, opt-in deployment for features that process especially sensitive user data.
Related: Microsoft · Copilot Plus · Frontier-model access governance · Recall’s Windows Insider rollout plan · Recall’s first beta preview · Recall’s wider Copilot+ PC availability
Related Coverage
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- Not a Total Recall, but Microsoft is pumping the brakes on its Recall feature Android Authority · Hadlee Simons
- Total Recall — Microsoft's all-knowing Recall AI feature is being delayed Spyglass · M.G. Siegler
- Microsoft Delays Controversial AI Feature Recall in Copilot+ Windows Build Guru3D · Hilbert Hagedoorn
- The end of Windows 11's Recall AI feature? Microsoft postpones launch Ghacks · Martin Brinkmann
- Microsoft Delaying Recall Feature To Improve Security SecurityWeek · Eduard Kovacs
- Microsoft Hits The Breaks For Now On ‘Photographic Memory’ Windows AI Feature Slammed By Elon Musk Benzinga
- View article Sherwood News
- Microsoft dumps Windows 11 Recall feature from Copilot+ PCs at launch - an embarrassing turn of events, but ultimately for the best TechRadar
- Microsoft Postpones Windows Recall Feature for Enhanced Security Testing WinBuzzer · Markus Kasanmascheff
- A recall for Recall: Microsoft delays release of controversial feature Pocket-lint · Adam Davidson
- Microsoft hits pause on Recall feature for Copilot+ PCs MSPoweruser · Devesh Beri
- Windows 11's creepy Recall feature has been recalled BGR · Chris Smith
- Microsoft delays the launch of its Recall feature following intense criticism TechSpot · Rob Thubron
- Microsoft postpones Recall so new Copilot+ PCs will launch without this flagship feature BetaNews · Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson
- Microsoft Delays AI-Powered Recall Feature for Copilot+ PCs Amid Security Concerns The Hacker News
- Microsoft delays Windows Recall amid privacy and security concerns BleepingComputer · Lawrence Abrams
- Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs won't take screenshots of everything you do, at least at launch XDA Developers · Rich Woods
- Microsoft delays broad release of Recall AI feature due to security concerns VentureBeat · Michael Nuñez
- Microsoft Delays Recall Thurrott · Paul Thurrott
- Microsoft delays the launch of Recall for Copilot+ PCs; there's no word on a new date Neowin · John Callaham
- Controversial Windows Recall feature to launch later this year via the Windows Insider Program Notebookcheck · Anil Ganti
- Microsoft delays data-scraping Recall feature again, commits to public beta test … Breakfast At Ralf's · Ralfmaximus
- Microsoft delays Windows Recall rollout, more security testing needed Help Net Security · Zeljka Zorz
- How to turn off Recall on Copilot+ PCs: Stop Windows from recording everything PCWorld · Hans-Christian Dirscherl
- Microsoft delays Windows Recall launch but you can still try it out Club386 · Samuel Willetts
- Microsoft's Recall changes might be too little, too late Security · Arielle Waldman
- Microsoft postpones release of controversial Recall AI feature Silicon Republic · Leigh Mc Gowran
- Microsoft delays roll-out of Windows Recall feature after pressure from security community ITPro · Solomon Klappholz
- So Apple taking over the ‘most valuable company spot’ or the wide reaching criticism of the tech world on the privacy aspects of Microsofts Recall feature - which one of those made Microsoft reconsider? Maybe both :D — It's good to see that there is some kind of feedback mechanism on the blatantly bad implementation that Microsoft apparently thought was good to go. … @hukl@chaos.social
- Given the cavalier way Microsoft built Recall and the outcry from the privacy and security communities. You have to wonder if Recall will ever see the light of day. — Given their renewed focus on security now the the eye of Congress has turned to Redmond I'd guess Recall is DOA. … @rlounsbury@twit.social · Ryan Lounsbury
- I sorta can't believe imma saying this, but Microsoft *needs* to have a ‘red team’ working internally across all product groups, trying to break *every single product all the time* because if they had one Recall never would have been like this. … @mpesce@arvr.social · Mark Pesce
- Am I wrong here or does Microsoft backing out of all-out CoPilot+ Recall bullshit roll-out (even if temporarily) mark the first time in this dank hype cycle that a major tech company actually reversed their head-first jump into an AI-related crap anti-feature? — That would be pretty damn notable. … @rysiek@mstdn.social
- Announcement is out. Good on Microsoft for finally reaching a sane conclusion. — Recall won't ship as a feature at launch on Copilot+ PCs any more. — Won't be available in Insider preview channel at launch, as it was pulled. … @GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social · Kevin Beaumont
- I've been back and rewatched the Recall footage at the US House hearing and I just don't get it, Brad Smith representing Microsoft basically did this about Recall's security.. he had no challenge from the Senators as they didn't know any details. — [image] @GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social · Kevin Beaumont
- Brad Smith just said Recall was designed to be disabled by default. That is not true. Microsoft's own documentation said it would be enabled by default - they only backtracked after outcry. — He has somehow got almost every detail about Recall wrong while testifying. @GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social · Kevin Beaumont
- Microsoft to delay release of Recall AI feature on security concerns Hacker News
- Microsoft Postpones Windows Recall After Major Backlash Slashdot · Msmash
Discussion
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@jezcorden
Jez Corden
on threads
Windows leadership really needs to have a rethink. Putting customers at the end of the conversation is fucking up their entire consumer business. AI Threads https://www.windowscentral.com/ ...
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@austinnotduncan
Austin Evans
on threads
There's no doubt the rollout of Recall has been messy but at least they're doing the right thing to delay and (hopefully) address issues like opt-in and proper encryption. https://www.windowscentral.com/ ...
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@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
Lauren Weinstein
on mastodon
***** Why Microsoft, Google, and others screw up ***** — Part of the reason — and a big part — of why you see public relations disasters like #Microsoft Recall and #Google AI Overviews is that these firms typically refuse to have employees on these teams who bring skill sets th…
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@brianhonan@mastodon.social
Brian Honan
on mastodon
I talked to @euroinfosec last week about my thoughts on how Microsoft plan to now roll out Recall on the new Co-Pilot enabled devices. In short it is a classic case of “Just because you can, doesn't mean you should” - it also has undermined recent statements by MS to focus on se…
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@gossithedog
Kevin Beaumont
on x
Somewhere in Microsoft, there's an employee who has the task of sending the exec briefing email saying they had to move up the announcement due to guy with a “PorgHub” avatar scooping them on Mastodon.. which is really the perfect nightcap on the Recall rollout.
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@hardwarecanucks
@hardwarecanucks
on x
Whoever green-lit Recall in its initial form & then allowed MS's CEO to go on camera all happy faced while talking about how this “feature” captured FAR too much personal data...well that person needs a swift career change. This, like so many things AI related, was overly rushed
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@valb00
@valb00
on x
@GossiTheDog That's the right call. They need more time to secure it without artificial deadlines. It'll never be secure enough, but can certainly undergo more red teaming and bug bounties before release.
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@patrickmoorhead
Patrick Moorhead
on x
Disappointed about the delay of Windows Recall, but it needs to be perfect as it's the flagship AI feature for the new AI-infused Copilot+ PCs. https://blogs.windows.com/...
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@markhachman
Mark Hachman
on x
Microsoft can't win. Apple talked more about privacy than the product and took no questions. Microsoft let people play with Recall at the launch, talked specifics, and scared its potential customers away.
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@stevesi
Steven Sinofsky
on x
This was no doubt a difficult call but is was the right one.
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@sdw
Sebastiaan de With
on x
@tomwarren Great reporting on this saga Tom. A fascinating and almost complete failure. Really curious how it got to this point.
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@zacbowden
Zac Bowden
on x
BREAKING: Microsoft is postponing Windows Recall. Copilot+ PCs will ship next week without their headlining AI feature LINK: https://www.windowscentral.com/ ... #Windows11
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@rakeshsfnyc
Rakesh Agrawal
on x
@can Such a terrible idea and unforced error. I wonder how many people warned them not to go big.
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@camcovington
Cameron Covington
on x
Almost as if they realized that Recall is a horrendous security risk and its implementation wasn't well thought out.
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@quinnypig
Corey Quinn
on x
The thing that galls me about Microsoft Recall is that it tracks everything you do on your computer, but Microsoft themselves have demonstrated in vulnerability disclosures that they clearly don't even log what the hell is happening in the Azure control plane.
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@newmacbookugly
@newmacbookugly
on x
@zacbowden Wouldn't surprise me if they canceled it in the end Which sucks tbh, it's a cool idea that was terribly implemented by a company very few people genuinely trust And now nobody else will want to do something similar, even tho it could be something actually useful
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@can
@can
on x
so they are....recalling this feature?
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@tomwarren
Tom Warren
on x
the way Microsoft has handled Recall seriously undermines all of the interesting work happening with Windows on ARM. Multiple errors and lessons to learn here, and truly a giant own goal
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@brianhonan
@brianhonan
on x
This is the right decision by MS considering the security, privacy, and compliance concerns around Recall. However, its too little too late to repair the damage to MS already tarnished reputation regarding their apparent focus on features & profit over #cybersecurity
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@sdw
Sebastiaan de With
on x
I kind of wish I'd called this, but I did wonder how they would manage to ship this without it becoming a huge disaster. As it turns out, they couldn't.
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@markhachman
Mark Hachman
on x
Windows Recall is being paused for more testing. This feels like a pretty big whiff, managing to tick off the people who wanted it AND the people who fear its inevitable arrival.
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r/technology
r
on reddit
Microsoft is delaying Windows Recall after recent backlash, won't launch next week after all
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r/Windows11
r
on reddit
Microsoft's all-knowing Recall AI feature is being delayed
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r/privacy
r
on reddit
Microsoft's all-knowing Recall AI feature is being delayed
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r/technology
r
on reddit
A PR disaster: Microsoft has lost trust with its users, and Windows Recall is the straw that broke the camel's back