A few months ago, Microsoft unveiled a new AI powered Windows 11 feature called “Recall”, which takes screenshots of everything you do on your PC and makes all actions searchable.
However, the much anticipated feature was ironically recalled after security researchers discovered that the data was stored in a plain text SQLite database.
Since then, Microsoft has been addressing privacy concerns and testing Recall in Windows 11 Insider Builds. The tech giant said that Recall will be optional and that users will have to decide if they want to enable it or not when setting up their Windows laptops,.
While the latest update made it look like users could uninstall Recall, in a statement to The Verge, the tech giant clarified that it was just a bug and that the upcoming feature won’t be removable.
Recall is an optional feature on the latest Windows 11 Insider build. (Image Source: Tom Warren/The Verge)
“We are aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option under the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ dialogue in Control Panel”, said Windows senior product manager Brandon LeBlanc. He went on to say that the bug “will be fixed in an upcoming update.”
Originally supposed to debut back in June with Copilot Plus PCs, Microsoft delayed the functionality after backlash from security researchers around the world which forced the tech giant to make major changes.
If you are on the latest Windows 11 Insider Build, simply head over to the Control Panel, navigate to Programs and proceed to click on “Turn Windows features on or off.” Now, scroll down a bit to find an option named Windows Recall and uncheck the box to remove it completely.
