Microsoft's new AI-powered Recall feature for Windows 11, introduced during Build 2024 exclusively for Copilot+ PCs, also works on older devices. According to Microsoft, the feature requires purchasing one of the new Copilot+ PCs with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Series processors. However, some enthusiasts were able to adapt it to run on older low-powered Windows on ARM devices.
Recall Adapted for Low-End Devices
A tech enthusiast known as Albacore, or @thebookisclosed on X, showcased the Recall feature running on a low-end PC with a Snapdragon 7cx processor and 4GB of RAM. Despite the Snapdragon 7cx lacking a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) and having only 3.4GB of usable memory, the feature reportedly performs well.
The official requirement for Recall is a minimum of 16GB RAM, making this adaptation particularly impressive. Albacore has announced plans to release a detailed guide to assist owners of Surface Pro X and other Windows on ARM devices in implementing Recall.
I was able to get Recall working on this bad boy 😎
Snapdragon 7c+ Gen3, 3.4 GB of RAM, no NPU in sightWill cook up a tutorial soon, it's surprisingly good even on something this low spec 😊 If you have any questions I'll do my best to answer them ✍️ pic.twitter.com/zzswm44Hy1
— Albacore ☁️ (@thebookisclosed) May 25, 2024
While the Recall feature has been successfully adapted for ARM devices, running it on x86 machines is much less likely. The required machine learning models provided by developers are primarily ARM64 packages, complicating the process for x86 hardware. However, enthusiasts remain hopeful that Recall will eventually be compatible with x86 systems as well.
Privacy Concerns and User Control
Windows Recall, which periodically captures screenshots of the screen, has raised privacy concerns. Microsoft has clarified that all processing is done on-device, and no data is transmitted externally. Users will have the option to specify which applications should not be captured or can choose to disable the feature entirely.
However, if threat actors gain local access to a device, they could potentially access this data or transfer it to their own computers to analyze the information offline for sensitive data.
Mozilla's Chief Product Officer, Steve Teixeira, shared his concerns about the feature, noting that it stores browser history and user-typed data with minimal control over what gets saved. He emphasized that while the data is encrypted, it introduces a new attack vector for cybercriminals and raises privacy issues for shared computers. Teixeira also criticized Microsoft for favoring its own Edge browser by allowing it to block specific websites and private browsing activity from Recall.
Recall is slated to be included in the upcoming Windows 11 version 24H2, which is currently available for public testing in the Release Preview Channel.
