Some Windows 11 users are seeing a Microsoft app they never explicitly installed. The app, called OneDrive Photos, automatically indexes local images and offers AI-powered search along with an optional face-grouping feature.
Delivered through updates, not a standalone download
The rollout was first spotted by industry publication Windows Latest. According to that report, OneDrive Photos is arriving through Windows Update or updates to the existing OneDrive client rather than as a separate app download.
Windows Latest said the app can detect and display images stored locally on a PC even if the user is not signed into a Microsoft account. Once signed in, users get access to AI-powered search that can find photos through natural-language queries and optical character recognition.
Face grouping is optional
The app also includes an optional People feature that groups similar faces together. Windows Latest reported that those groupings are visible only to the user, are not shared with third parties, and can be deleted by disabling the feature.
The publication added that users must opt in to the feature because facial data may be considered biometric information in some jurisdictions.
Privacy concerns echo earlier AI rollouts
The report lands two years after Microsoft was forced to overhaul its AI-powered Recall feature following a privacy backlash. The controversy led the company to make the screenshotting tool opt in by default.
More recently, in May, Google started downloading its roughly 4GB Gemini Nano AI model to eligible Chrome installations through browser updates to support on-device AI features. That move added to concerns about AI capabilities reaching users through routine software updates.
Cannot currently be removed on its own
According to Windows Latest, OneDrive Photos is tied to the existing OneDrive client and cannot currently be uninstalled by itself. Users who want to remove it must uninstall OneDrive from Windows entirely.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment.