Microsoft’s artificial intelligence (AI) Recall feature, which is not yet available to the public, reportedly cannot be uninstalled from Windows 11. It was recently said to be available to Windows Insider participants in the 24H2 preview build of Windows 11. Interestingly, that build allowed users to uninstall the feature. However, according to the report, the tech giant claimed that this was a bug and once it is fixed, users will not be able to uninstall the Recall feature from the operating system.
Uninstall Windows System Restore
Deskmodder spotted the feature in Windows 11 build 24H2. However, the publication revealed that Recall can be uninstalled in it. It’s worth noting that this is still a beta version of the feature, which is not currently available to public users. However, The Verge spoke to the company, which clarified that this was a bug and Recall will not be uninstallable in future versions.
“We are aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option in the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ dialog in Control Panel. This will be fixed in an upcoming update,” Brandon LeBlanc, senior product manager for Windows, was quoted as saying by the publication.
Recall, first announced by the company in June, is one of the main AI features for PCs with AI. However, since its announcement, the feature has been met with criticism from internet users. The feature captures periodic screenshots of the PC’s screen and, through the use of AI, can answer questions from users about user activity.
This allows users to ask questions like “What Google Chrome tab was I working on on the afternoon of July 20?” and the AI can provide an answer and display a snapshot of the tab.
Many have raised concerns about the privacy and security of this feature. In the earliest version of the feature, it was discovered that screenshots were stored unencrypted, allowing anyone with physical access to the device to inspect the screenshots. The negative response led to Microsoft removing the feature and stating that it would be re-released later with improvements.
The company announced several feature improvements the following month, including the addition of folder encryption and integration with the Windows Hello security feature. The company also said the feature would be turned off by default and that users would have to opt in to turn it on.
