Microsoft's Controversial 'Recall' Feature is Already Experiencing Some Issues (cnbc.com) 16
Microsoft's controversial "Recall" feature (in a public preview of Windows 11) already has some known issues, Microsoft admitted Friday. For example:
- Recall can be enabled or disabled from "Turn Windows features on or off". We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.
- You must have Secure Boot enabled for Recall to save snapshots.
- Some users experience a delay before snapshots first appear in the timeline while using their device. If snapshots do not appear after 5 minutes, reboot your device. If saving snapshots is enabled, but you see snapshots are no longer being saved, reboot your device.
- Clicking links within Recall to submit feedback may experience a delay in loading the Feedback Hub application. Be patient and it will display.
CNBC adds that according to Microsoft Recall "won't work with some accessibility programs, and if you specify that Recall shouldn't save content from a given website, it might get captured anyway while using the built-in Edge browser..." But those aren't the only issues CNBC noticed: - While you might expect that your computer will be recording every last thing you look at once you've turned on Recall, it can go several minutes between making snapshots, leaving gaps in the timeline.
- Recall allows you to prevent screenshots from being made when you're accessing specific apps. But a few apps installed on my Surface Pro are not shown on that list.
- When you enter a search string to find words, results might be incomplete or incorrect. Recall clearly had two screen images that mention "Yankees," but when I typed that into the search box, only one of them came up as a text match. I typed in my last name, which appeared in eight images, but Recall produced just two text matches.
- Recall made a screenshot while I was scrolling through posts on social network BlueSky, and one contains a photo of a New York street scene. You can see a stoplight, a smokestack and street signs. I typed each of those into the search box, but Recall came up with no results...
- The search function is fast, but flipping through snapshots in Recall is not. It can take a couple of seconds to load screenshots as you swipe between them.
- Recall can be enabled or disabled from "Turn Windows features on or off". We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.
- You must have Secure Boot enabled for Recall to save snapshots.
- Some users experience a delay before snapshots first appear in the timeline while using their device. If snapshots do not appear after 5 minutes, reboot your device. If saving snapshots is enabled, but you see snapshots are no longer being saved, reboot your device.
- Clicking links within Recall to submit feedback may experience a delay in loading the Feedback Hub application. Be patient and it will display.
CNBC adds that according to Microsoft Recall "won't work with some accessibility programs, and if you specify that Recall shouldn't save content from a given website, it might get captured anyway while using the built-in Edge browser..." But those aren't the only issues CNBC noticed: - While you might expect that your computer will be recording every last thing you look at once you've turned on Recall, it can go several minutes between making snapshots, leaving gaps in the timeline.
- Recall allows you to prevent screenshots from being made when you're accessing specific apps. But a few apps installed on my Surface Pro are not shown on that list.
- When you enter a search string to find words, results might be incomplete or incorrect. Recall clearly had two screen images that mention "Yankees," but when I typed that into the search box, only one of them came up as a text match. I typed in my last name, which appeared in eight images, but Recall produced just two text matches.
- Recall made a screenshot while I was scrolling through posts on social network BlueSky, and one contains a photo of a New York street scene. You can see a stoplight, a smokestack and street signs. I typed each of those into the search box, but Recall came up with no results...
- The search function is fast, but flipping through snapshots in Recall is not. It can take a couple of seconds to load screenshots as you swipe between them.
One word (Score:2)
Yuck
Re: (Score:3)
Let me guess: This will be turned ON by default.
And will nag you if you try to turn it off.
It doesnt even work (Score:2)
Who wants this? (Score:4, Interesting)
From the, "solving problems I don't have" department, and forwarded to the "just because we doesn't mean we should" department, who the hell actually wants this feature? My first reaction was, "no", and that was before taking a second to think about all the security related BS it implies. The amount of money and time MS is wasting on this must be staggering.
Re: (Score:2)
The amount of money and time MS is wasting on this must be staggering.
Yet another example of what happens when a company has too much money, too many people and completely incompetent management.
So.... (Score:2)
What customers actually want this feature? I'm curious. All I've heard is negative feedback about this thing. Did anyone actually ask for it?
Re:So.... (Score:4, Insightful)
What customers actually want this feature? I'm curious. All I've heard is negative feedback about this thing. Did anyone actually ask for it?
I imagine Microsoft wants this more than anyone else. I imagine it could be used to provide MS with universal telemetry for everything a user does on a system even in third-party apps w/o any MS telemetry built in. Sure MS doesn't say they will use it for this *now*, but ... So, good for them, not for us... /super-cynical
Re: (Score:2)
What customers actually want this feature? I'm curious. All I've heard is negative feedback about this thing. Did anyone actually ask for it?
I imagine Microsoft wants this more than anyone else. I imagine it could be used to provide MS with universal telemetry for everything a user does on a system even in third-party apps w/o any MS telemetry built in.
But, how exactly is all this telemetry actually beneficial to Microsoft? I guarantee NOBODY inside Microsoft can explain, in detail, exactly what benefit is gained other than some extremely vague hand-waving and "sell more advertising".
It is literally nothing more than the old meme from years ago:
1. Collect massive amounts of data
2. ?????
3. Profit!!
What is the purpose? (Score:2)
It will end up like Cortana (Score:2)
To a consumer, Recall will be perceived to be crap if it: 1) Can't recognise text and objects in a captured snapshot to at the standard of Apple/Google Photos;
2) Can't be navigated anywhere near as quickly as the aforementioned tools for any reason;
3) Doesn't index or
Does Windows work without internet access? (Score:2)
Would Satya Nadella have this enabled? (Score:2)
Or does he have some special privilege to completely disable such features?
Or is he just using a Mac?
This feature is a privacy nightmare waiting to happen.
Not a chance in hell (Score:2)
If there is anything that would finally force me to give up Windows, this will be
the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back.
Giving up Windows means giving up a lot of software I use that is Windows only
and has either a poor Linux replacement, or none at all.
But this " spy on everything you do " bullshit will finally force me to make that
decision.
Glorious! (Score:2)
How awesome is it that Windows users have the privilege of beta testing this wonderful new feature? Isn't it a marvelous world where users get to be unpaid beta testers for a feature which none of them asked for and most don't want? Kudos to Microsoft for making sure that said feature also renders their already flaky OS even more unreliable and less responsive. Golly gee, it's a great time to be alive!