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Windows 11 users will be unable to uninstall the contentious ‘Recall’ feature after Microsoft confirmed the option is a bug, with a fix on the way.
A report by Deskmodder on Monday (Sep, 2) uncovered the change in the recent Windows 11 update 24H2, which appeared to give users the ability to completely uninstall the feature, but it was a false dawn.
In a statement to The Verge, Windows senior product manager Brandon LeBlanc said, “We are aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option under the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ dialog in Control Panel.”
“This will be fixed in an upcoming update,” he added.
Recall is an upcoming Copilot+ feature that essentially collates ongoing screenshots of your activity to make it easy to find previous work. Such a tool would have its uses, but the security risks of potentially capturing passwords and personal data that could be breached have drawn criticism previously.
The UK privacy watchdog Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) opened a probe into Recall, due to similar security fears.
Open door for malware
After Microsoft introduced Recall, a public outcry led to a review just days later, resulting in a delay to the full launch.
Researchers found the Recall database, which stores the continuous snapshots, was not encrypted, and an open door for malware. A change of tack means Recall is now opt-in only, instead of a default feature for the AI tool.
The database will be encrypted, with Windows Hello acting as the authenticator.
With the initial June release kicked into touch months ago, a new prospective October launch for Recall has been set for Windows Insiders testers.
Another potential obstacle for Microsoft could be the European Commission’s Digital Markets Act, compelling the US tech multinational to add an uninstall option to EU versions of Windows 11.
Image credit: Via Ideogram
