In short
Microsoft is rolling out a brand new OneDrive Photographs app to some Home windows 11 PCs.
The app indexes native picture libraries and provides AI-powered search and non-obligatory facial grouping.
The rollout follows Microsoft’s broader push to combine AI options into Home windows.
Some Home windows 11 customers are discovering a brand new Microsoft app they by no means put in. Referred to as OneDrive Photographs, it routinely indexes native photographs and provides AI-powered search and non-obligatory facial grouping.
The rollout, first noticed by trade publication Home windows Newest, comes through Home windows Replace or updates to the present OneDrive consumer reasonably than as a separate obtain.

In accordance with Home windows Newest, OneDrive Photographs can detect and show photographs saved domestically on a PC even when the consumer shouldn’t be signed right into a Microsoft account. After signing in, the app permits AI-powered search that may find images utilizing natural-language queries and optical character recognition.
The app additionally consists of an non-obligatory Individuals function that teams related faces, that are seen solely to the consumer, aren’t shared with third events, and will be deleted by disabling the function. Nevertheless, Home windows Newest famous that the function requires customers to decide in as a result of facial knowledge could also be thought of biometric info in some jurisdictions.
The information comes two years after Microsoft was pressured to overtake its AI-powered Recall function following a privateness backlash that prompted the corporate to make the screenshotting instrument decide in by default.
Extra not too long ago, in Could, Google started downloading its roughly 4GB Gemini Nano AI mannequin to eligible Chrome installations via browser updates to energy on-device AI options, including to issues about AI capabilities arriving via routine software program updates.
In accordance with Home windows Newest, OneDrive Photographs is tied to the present OneDrive consumer and can’t presently be eliminated by itself. Customers who need to uninstall the app should take away OneDrive completely from Home windows.
Microsoft didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark by Decrypt.
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