Users hoping they would be able to uninstall Recall are in for a disappointment, with Microsoft saying the dialog box that suggested it was a bug.
Recall is Microsoft’s controversial AI-powered tool that takes snapshots of virtually everything a user does on their computer. The goal is to provide an easy way to for users to find documents, messages, videos, text, and more, using natural language prompts. Unfortunately, Microsoft’s initial implementation was a security nightmare, prompting the company to delay its rollout.
First spotted by Deskmodder, the latest windows update appeared to open the door to uninstalling Recall, listing it in the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ section of the Control Panel. Unfortunately, Microsoft has no plans to allow users to uninstall Recall, saying the dialog was a bug.
“We are aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option under the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ dialog in Control Panel,” Windows senior product manager Brandon LeBlanc told The Verge. “This will be fixed in an upcoming update.”
It’s a shame that Microsoft believes an option to uninstall Recall is something to “be fixed,” rather than giving users who value their privacy an opportunity to get rid of the feature.