During Microsoft’s Copilot AI and Surface event in May, a new AI-powered feature called Recall was introduced. Recall is designed to help users find anything they have previously looked at on their PC. However, Microsoft initially stated that this feature would only be available on the newly released Copilot+ PCs, which come with neural processing units (NPUs) for AI tasks.
Fortunately, a developer using the pseudonym Albacore has created a console Windows app called Amperage, which allows users to run Recall on older computers that are not officially supported. This tool specifically enables Recall on computers with Arm64-based system-on-a-chip (SoC), meaning they must be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon, Microsoft SQ, or Ampere chipset. Additionally, the user’s PC must be running Windows 11 version 24H2 build 26100.712, as older and newer beta versions lack the necessary components to activate the feature.
It is worth mentioning that future versions of Amperage may expand its capabilities by unlocking Recall for more devices. As AMD- and Intel-based Copilot+ PCs are expected to be available later this year, the tool could potentially include support for these processors as well.
Albacore shared their success in getting Recall to work on their Snapdragon 7c+ Gen3 PC, which only has 3.4 GB of RAM and no NPU. They even expressed surprise at how well the feature performed on such low-spec hardware. Albacore also mentioned plans to create a tutorial to help others unlock Recall on their devices.
Now, let’s delve deeper into the functionality of Recall and how it operates. This feature works by taking snapshots of the PC while the user is actively using it. These snapshots are stored locally on the computer and utilize local multi-modal small language models to analyze and identify text, images, and videos within them. This means that if a user wants to find something they viewed previously, such as an image, website, document, or email, they can simply search the Recall timeline. Interestingly, Recall can even recognize vague contextual clues, allowing users to search using imprecise descriptions or phrases.
One crucial aspect emphasized by Microsoft is the privacy and security of user data. Since Recall operates by storing snapshots locally and offline, users’ data is intended to remain private and secure. This approach eliminates the need to upload sensitive information to the cloud, preserving user privacy.
In conclusion, Recall is an innovative AI-powered feature introduced by Microsoft during its Copilot AI and Surface event. Initially available exclusively on Copilot+ PCs, Recall has been made accessible to older computers through the Amperage tool developed by Albacore. This tool currently supports computers with Arm64-based SoCs and requires specific Windows 11 versions. However, future iterations may include support for AMD- and Intel-based Copilot+ PCs. Recall’s functionality relies on locally stored snapshots and local multi-modal small language models, enabling users to search for previously viewed content with ease. Furthermore, its offline nature ensures the privacy and security of users’ data. Overall, Recall proves to be a valuable feature for Windows users seeking efficient content retrieval on their PCs.
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