Microsoft has announced that it is aware of a bug that gave the impression that the upcoming Recall feature, introduced in the latest Windows 11 update, could be easily removed, and that the bug will be fixed soon. Spotted by Deskmodder last week, the issue turned out to be a false indication that Recall could be removed from the Windows Features section in the latest 24H2 build of Windows 11, KB5041865.
“We are aware that Recall was incorrectly listed as an option in the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ window in Control Panel. This issue will be fixed in an upcoming update,” Brandon LeBlanc, Windows senior product manager, told The Verge.
Recall feature was delayed due to security concerns
The controversial Recall AI feature is described as a system that creates screenshots of almost everything users see or do on their computers, and was originally planned to be introduced with Copilot Plus PCs in June of this year. However, Microsoft was forced to delay the feature after security researchers raised concerns. Microsoft says Recall will be available for preview on Copilot Plus PCs with Windows Insiders in October after undergoing significant changes.
Initially, security researchers found that Recall’s database, which records snapshots of your computer every few seconds, was not encrypted, allowing malware to gain access to the feature. Following this feedback, Microsoft plans to move Recall from enabled by default to a user preference, encrypt the database, and enable authentication via Windows Hello.
Microsoft may make a change to Recall in the European Union
Microsoft said in a statement to The Verge that it was a mistake to make the Recall feature appear removable. However, Microsoft may need to add a Recall removal option to its copies of Windows 11 in the EU in order to comply with the European Commission’s Digital Markets Act. Microsoft has previously been forced to allow the removal of the Edge browser and the disabling of Bing-powered web search in the Start menu in European Economic Area (EEA) countries.