When Microsoft introduced the Recall feature back in this June to showcase it’s then-new lineup of Copilot+ PCs, it sparked a controversy over its privacy practices and the technical issues that eventually forced the company to halt the feature’s launch on these laptops. While it is returning to testing this October, German publication Deskmodder found that you may be able to remove the feature completely if you wish so.
Don’t Want Recall? You Can Uninstall It (But There’s A Catch)
To recap, Windows 11’s Recall feature is designed to take screenshots on your computer’s screen once every few seconds, and the images will then be processed by the onboard NPU (neural processing unit) to analyze keywords or certain imagery features. Not everyone bought into this idea, especially as it is incapable of telling sensitive information apart – meaning your password may get inadvertently recorded by the AI-powered feature.
The addition of the capability to remove Recall (not just disabling it) may give users an extra peace of mind, especially for the privacy-conscious crowd. Still, as Windows Central pointed out – Deskmodder is a German publication (which is part of the European Union), and EU has region-specific laws that meant that certain default apps are uninstallable to comply with DMA (Digital Markets Act) regulations. Other regions will likely have Recall directly tied to the operating system, however.
Since the reworked Recall is not yet available for testing until October, it’s unclear if the capability to remove it from the operating system will make it to the official Windows 11 build when the next major update, codenamed 24H2, arrives. Only systems with Copilot+ PC designation will have the feature available when it arrives.
Pokdepinion: That’s a good thing, and hopefully this is not just for EU users only for the sake of regulatory compliance.
