After several months of delays, Microsoft has officially launched its controversial AI-powered “Recall” feature for Windows 11. The feature is now available as an Insider Preview (Build 26120.2415) for Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs in the Dev Channel.

For those unaware, Microsoft first introduced Windows Recall as one of its exclusive AI features in May, outlining plans for its official launch in June. This feature enhances user productivity by allowing instant access to previously viewed or completed tasks on a Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PC. It captures a snapshot of the user’s screen every few seconds to create a database on their PC.

The security of these snapshots raised concerns among security and privacy experts and early testers. Critics pointed out that Microsoft’s Recall feature did not conceal sensitive or confidential information captured in screenshots, leading to potential privacy risks.

In response, the Redmond giant made the Recall feature an opt-in feature, which means it will be turned off by default. Further, it implemented changes in the feature to safeguard user privacy.

Microsoft is finally set to roll out in December, with the company releasing the first preview version of the feature for testing in its Windows Insider community.

“Recall is an entirely new way to search for things you’ve seen or done on your PC securely. With the AI capabilities of Copilot+ PCs, it’s now possible to quickly find and get back to any app, website, image, or document just by describing its content,” Microsoft wrote in the Windows Insider Blog announcement on Friday.

According to the blog post, users must enable biometric authentication via Windows Hello whenever they open Recall. This feature will only take snapshots if the user has enabled the saving screenshots option. Users will also have complete control over Recall’s data capture capabilities, including the option to delete stored snapshots or completely uninstall the feature from their system.

Microsoft has assured users that the Recall feature will not transmit snapshots to the company or any third parties, nor will the data be used for AI training purposes. The announcement adds that the company also “can’t access the keys to view your encrypted data, so we can’t restore your snapshots if you remove Windows Hello or need to reset your PC or move to a new PC.”

Recall has reportedly been updated with enhanced capabilities to detect sensitive information, such as credit card details and passwords. When the system identifies such data, it won’t save or store those snapshots, ensuring greater privacy and security for users.

“We invite you to try out Recall and share feedback, issues, or suggestions for improvement through in-experience links or the Feedback Hub. We also want to recognize the contributions of researchers and the security community in shaping Recall,” the company concluded.