Microsoft's controversial Recall feature arrives on Copilot+ PCs, here’s what you should know

MIAMI, FLORIDA - JUNE 18: A laptop computer with Microsoft Copilot+ installed is on display at the Best Buy store on June 18, 2024 in Miami, Florida. Today, Best Buy began selling Microsoft's new line of AI-centric Copilot+ PCs to customers. The store has the most extensive assortment of Copilot+ PCs in their stores from vendors like Microsoft, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung. Microsoft Copilot is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by the company. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images).

Last year at Microsoft's Build event, the company unveiled a new feature for its Microsoft Copilot+ PCs called Recall. This AI feature would automatically take snapshots of what you're doing on your computer to create an easily searchable timeline to find something like a browser tab from a month ago or an image you saved last week.

This feature, however, raised a lot of concerns regarding users' privacy, as the AI would technically be spying on everything you do on your computer. This led to Microsoft pausing the rollout of Recall to make some changes, including letting it be an opt-in feature for Windows 11 devices.