The Recall feature, developed by Microsoft for Windows 11 and aiming to offer users the opportunity to remember past moments on their devices, has been at the center of discussions for a long time. This innovation, which was postponed after its first announcement due to security and privacy concerns, also came to the fore with serious problems in the second testing phase. Defects in the snapshot saving mechanism, which is the basic function of Recall, prevent users from experiencing the feature efficiently.
The Recall feature is designed to allow users to record device activities and access this data with natural language commands. However, it is reported that even this basic function did not work properly during the testing process. Technology analysts and users note that snapshots are either not saved at all or take minutes to save. CNBC reported that this process took several minutes in some cases, and therefore there were serious delays in the use of artificial intelligence-supported functions. On the other hand, The Verge writer Tom Warren, in his post on the social media platform Bluesky, stated that the feature is completely dysfunctional and made the following statement: “Is anyone else having issues with the Recall feature? I see that the snapshots are not saved at all.”
In response, Microsoft offered users the classic “restart” solution. In the announcement published for users in the Developer Channel of the Windows Insider program, the company stated that restarting the device can solve such errors. The statements in the blog post are as follows: “Some users may experience a delay in snapshots appearing in the timeline while using their device. “If these images do not appear within 5 minutes or you notice that they are not recorded, restart your device.”
From privacy concerns to testing errors
The Recall feature initially promised to offer users the opportunity to recover all functional points on their devices. This feature attracted attention with its potential to access device history with natural language commands and recover all activities after a system crash or planned shutdown. However, the snapshot saving feature raised serious concerns about data privacy and security. For this reason, the feature was postponed from its previously planned launch in June 2024 and was only available to certain beta testers.
The fact that the device records snapshots at various time points during the day allows users to recall each moment like a “photographic memory”. However, the inability of this function to work efficiently is one of the biggest problems that overshadows the potential of the feature. These errors, which emerged during the testing process, paint a picture that is far from the smooth experience promised to users.
Although Microsoft’s Recall feature had a great impact in the industry, the disruptions it experienced accelerated the development processes of rival companies with similar functions. For example, with the ChromeOS 130 update, Google introduced a feature called Welcome Recap, with which users can instantly remember their desktop history. This innovation aims to rival Microsoft’s vision by offering options to select certain states in the desktop history or start a new desktop from scratch.
Despite all these developments, the fact that Microsoft’s Recall feature is still far from meeting user expectations puts the company’s claim to leadership in innovative technologies into difficulty. However, it is estimated that the company will develop a solution plan to fix these errors and roll out the feature in a more stable manner.