Windows is running new ads for the Recall feature of its new Copilot+ PCs, touting the now-defunct feature as "your new photographic memory." The only problem: Recall has been canceled for weeks, with Microsoft even removing access to the tool from Windows Insiders after an overwhelming flood of negative press and user feedback. Recall was plagued with privacy risks and fears from the moment it was announced, with even some governments rallying against it.
Recall's brand new ad campaign reaches across Meta and X (formerly Facebook/Instagram and Twitter) platforms. The X ad, seen above, was first posted on June 25th, after the full removal of Recall access from Insider builds of Windows, and seems to have gone live on July 1st when the first comments can be seen. Windows has also started nine new campaigns based on Recall for Meta, each launched on July 3rd and served to Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. A blend of stills and videos showcasing only Recall functionality are being advertised fresh.
For those not in the loop, Recall was a tentpole feature of Windows' new Copilot+ PCs, a new classification of laptops/notebooks built around bringing AI features to thin-and-light notebooks. Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Arm processors, Copilot+ PCs seek to be a challenge to Apple's M-series chips. Recall monitors your screen usage, taking screenshots every few seconds, and logs everything you see on the computer for easy recovery if you forget what you've seen (hence Microsoft's "your new photographic memory" marketing tagline in the new ads).
The other AI features included in Copilot+ PCs at launch were Cocreator, Live Captions with translation, and Windows Studio Effects; without Recall, the AI software suite is painfully bad, as outlined in our review.
Recall may be coming back to Windows faster than anyone expected. The feature was first "recalled" on June 8th, when Microsoft announced it would be exclusively an opt-in feature. Microsoft took further steps to limit access to Recall until the 20th, when Recall was fully removed from even opt-in preview builds of the Copilot+ release of Windows 11. Currently, Windows sites have no up-to-date news on the feature, with the most current update reading, "Recall is coming soon through a post-launch Windows update."
No one from Microsoft, Qualcomm, or any OEM Copilot+ partners has contacted Tom's Hardware to say that Recall is returning anytime soon. If and when it does, it will be met with a serious uphill battle against public opinion. Governmental agencies like the UK's Information Commissioner's Office and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties have advised that Microsoft "must rigorously assess and mitigate risks to peoples' rights and freedoms", or that otherwise Recall "could be a privacy nightmare." Statements like these have helped Recall become a PR nightmare for Windows and Microsoft, with most consumers siding against the existence of the tool.
