Windows 10: Microsoft’s controversial Windows Recall feature is coming back in October

If you thought that Microsoft was done with Recall after its catastrophic reveal as the main feature of Copilot+ PCs, you are mistaken.

Microsoft wants to bring it back this October 2024. Good news is that the company plans to introduce it in test builds of the Windows 11 operating system in October. In other words: do not expect the feature to hit stable Windows 11 PCs before 2025 at the earliest.

A quick recap of events


Microsoft announced Windows Recall in May 2024 originally. The feature was initially enabled by default on compatible systems to capture a screenshot every few seconds. It would then use AI to analyze the screenshots and give users the option to interact with that content.

You could ask the AI about previous activities on the PC and it would look through the screenshots to find it.

While that may have sounded great on paper and on work-related PCs, users and experts alike expressed concern. Users expressed fears that malware could steal Recall data to know exactly what they did in the past couple of months.

While Recall was designed to block taking screenshots of certain activities, these were fairly limited. The feature could, in its initial form, take screenshots of passwords, if you used the option to show them, credit card numbers, and other personal information. It would also know about your browsing habits, which shows you would watch, and anything else that you would do while using the PC.

Others did not trust Microsoft to keep the data secure. We suggested to make Recall opt-in, instead of opt-out, to make sure that users knew what they were getting into when enabling it.

Microsoft pulled the Recall feature shortly after its announcement and published information about its future in June. There, Microsoft said that it would make Recall opt-in by default. It also wanted to improve security by enrolling in Windows Hello and other features.

Furthermore, it pledged to give Insiders the ability to test Recall before launch. This was neglected previously.

Microsoft plans


The update to June's blog post puts a timestamp on the return of Recall. October 2024 will see its integration in Windows 11 Insider builds. The feature will only be available on Insider builds that meet the Copilot+ PCs requirements. Microsoft reiterates that security will be its top priority.

Google launched a similar feature recently for its Pixel 9 devices. Called Pixel Screenshots, it is also an AI feature that is analyzing screenshots so that users may recall information found in those screenshots at any time.

Unlike Recall, which at this time is still taking screenshots automatically when enabled, Pixel Screenshots works with manual screenshots.

Microsoft plans to provide additional information in October when the new Recall launches in test builds of the Windows 11 operating system.

What is your take on Recall? Do you think that Microsoft is making the right decision to cling to it and launch it in the future?

Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft’s controversial Windows Recall feature is coming back in October appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

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Windows 7 top feature request list leaked to the public

With Windows still managing to find its way to over 95 percent of the desktop computers sold each year, it's not surprising that one can find plenty of people interested in giving their feedback about what future versions of Windows should be able to do.

A few years ago, before Windows Vista had even shipped, Microsoft sent out a wish list form asking people what features they would like to see in the next version of Windows, currently code-named Windows 7. The top wished-for features in this list were recently leaked to the public and have popped up at various sites (e.g., Neowin). While anonymous sources at Microsoft tell us that they bear no relationship to the actual feature set Microsoft is currently writing for Windows 7, the list does provide interesting insight into what the Windows-using public most wants from Windows.

The features are listed in no particular order, but they break down into various categories depending on what part of Windows the feature request falls under. Many requests for improvements in Internet Explorer, such as a session restore function, are fairly obvious wishes for features that already exist in competitive products such as Firefox and Opera. Other suggestions, such as a tabbed Windows Explorer, look for features from web browsers to migrate into the general user interface.





Some of the feature requests are clearly unrealistic, such as the desire to "back up" Xbox 360 games to the PC (yeah, I don't think Microsoft will be doing that one). Others are minor user interface enhancements that would be nice additions but wouldn't really change the Windows experience, such as a progress bar when hibernating the system. However, there are a few that make good sense and would be welcome additions to the operating system, such as a built-in video and audio codec manager.

A Windows 7 insider who wishes to remain anonymous told Ars that the leaked feature list was gathered before any real development on Windows 7 was started, and readers should not expect to see requests from the list necessarily implemented in Microsoft’s next major Windows release.

 

New features and improvements coming to Windows 10

You've gotta be kiddin' me. There must be some way to disable this "Get the App" notification or else I'm staying away from Windows 10 for good. Total nonsense. This feature won't be available to Enterprise users, will it?

 

New features and improvements coming to Windows 10

Five good reasons for me to stick with W7

"For discovery and engagement, Microsoft will add a "Suggested" list, which will deliver smart suggestions of apps from the Windows Store if after a while you haven't installed any apps. You can also notice that the app tile also provides star rating and pricing information for a particular app."

"As the system learns your behavior using and installing apps, the Suggested list will become the "Recently added" list of apps. And when the users use the app enough, the apps will then get listed in the "Most used" list."


"Microsoft's Belfiore also noted that with these new tweaks, the Start menu is pretty much a final product. As such, we don't expect any more significant changes beyond what we see today."


"Cortana will also feature app discoverability from the Windows Store as users use search."


"Future updates of Microsoft Edge will include a new "New Tab" window with the most recent links users have visited in the form of tiles. If the site they visited has an app available in the Windows Store, you will see "Get the app" notification in the link tile as well."