[Hardware] New Microsoft ads tout unavailable Recall feature, don't mention it was indefinitely delayed due to privacy concerns

[Shyloo]

 

"Meet your new photographic memory," the ad, which has been running on Facebook and X, says. In the 12-second Facebook version, you see a man use Microsoft's Recall app to search for "where'd I see that cute pink creature thing" and then get a picture of an Axolotl. The commercial closes with the words "Recall what you've seen instantly" emblazoned on top of the man using a laptop and in front of a big picture of the creature.

This all sounds like a compelling reason to buy a Copilot+ PC. The only problem: Recall has been indefinitely delayed for weeks, with Microsoft even removing access to the tool from Windows Insiders after an overwhelming flood of negative press and user feedback. Because it takes screen shots of just about everything you do, Recall was plagued with privacy risks and fears from the moment it was announced, with even some governments rallying against it.

Given the controversy, it remains unclear when Recall will launch (if ever) and whether it will still have the same functionality that Microsoft touted at launch and portrays in this ad. However, the ad doesn't say that Recall is "coming soon." It simply implies that, if you buy a Copilot+ PC today, you will have this capability as soon as you boot it up. 

We've embedded a Tweet of the ad, which was running on X as of July 5th (though with an initial date of June 25th on it) above. Also, here's a screenshot below.

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. 

Recall was considered the tentpole exclusive 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 exclusive AI features included ion Copilot+ PCs at launch were Cocreator (a text-to-image generator for Paint), Live Captions with translation, and Windows Studio Effects that adds background blur to your webcam. Without Recall, the AI software suite is not very compelling. But there are other benefits to buying a Copilot+, including long battery life.

The Recall 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." 

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If and when Recall returns to Windows, 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.