Microsoft has once again backtracked on its controversial Recall feature after scrambling to address security concerns.

In an update to a blog post on Thursday, Microsoft said that it will not make Recall available as a preview feature in Copilot+ PCs on June 18 and will instead make the feature available to Windows Insiders first. Microsoft did say, however, that it will eventually make Recall available to all Copilot+ PCs.

"Recall will now shift from a preview experience broadly available for Copilot+ PCs on June 18, 2024, to a preview available first in the Windows Insider Program (WIP) in the coming weeks," Microsoft wrote in a blog post update. "Following receiving feedback on Recall from our Windows Insider Community, as we typically do, we plan to make Recall (preview) available for all Copilot+ PCs coming soon."

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Microsoft unveiled its Recall feature in May, saying that it would fundamentally change how users engage with their PCs. The feature takes a snapshot of your computer every five seconds, letting you easily go back in time to find old messages, tabs you may have closed in your browser, and more. The company said at the time that it would make Recall available across its new line of Copilot+ PCs starting on June 18.

Soon after Microsoft unveiled Recall, however, security researchers found a fatal flaw. Although Windows 11 PCs are encrypted by default when locked, when unlocked, the drive and its files are readily available to the user. Researchers discovered that this also applied to Recall, allowing anyone with device and user-level access to see all the owner's activities in plain text by analyzing Recall logs.

In response to those concerns, Microsoft said that it had heard from the security community and would institute safeguards, including requiring to opt-in to Recall saving, that device owners use Windows Hello's biometric features to unlock the device, and additional layers of encryption to safeguard Recall saves.

At the time, Microsoft was still planning to make Recall available on Copilot+ PCs with those safeguards in place by June 18, but it appears the plan has since slipped from that timeline. Given its noncommittal blog post, it's unclear when in the next several weeks Microsoft will even make the feature available to Windows Insiders.

Also: I demoed every new AI feature coming to Copilot+ PCs, and I'm nearly sold on the hype

Whatever the case, Microsoft says that its decision is about user security first and foremost.

"We are adjusting the release model for Recall to leverage the expertise of the Windows Insider community to ensure the experience meets our high standards for quality and security," the company wrote. "This decision is rooted in our commitment to providing a trusted, secure and robust experience for all customers and to seek additional feedback prior to making the feature available to all Copilot+ PC users."

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