The ongoing face unlock saga is still haunting the Google Pixel 6, ten months after its release.
To sum up, face unlocking has long been expected to be part of the Pixel 6 Pro’s security arsenal and even appeared in some leaked marketing literature, meaning it had to be a last-minute decision to pull it off.
Google seems to be working on the feature almost immediately after its launch, and the last we heard is that the feature is set for the next quarterly update.
However, after two months, the Pixel 6 did not have the option, leaving users relying on the in-display fingerprint reader. However, according to 9to5Google’s (Opens in a new tab) Sources, this fingerprint reader could be the key to face unlock finally becoming a viable option.
If a face is recognized, but not enough matches for the phone to be 100% confident, Google will obviously “lower the recognition threshold required for fingerprint unlock”. In other words, if the camera recognizes you, the fingerprint reader will accept a less convincing match, as the two work in tandem to confirm your identity.
The best of both worlds?
Why would you want a face unlock system that still requires a fingerprint? After all, Apple is confident enough in Face ID that it doesn’t include a fingerprint scanner at all.
Well, there are two advantages. The first is that it should make fingerprint unlocking much easier. The 9to5Google piece says that the drop in certainty required to unlock fingerprint matching is “not insignificant” once identity is partially confirmed via the camera.
Second, the previous assumption was that face unlock was only intended for the Pixel 6 Pro, thanks to support for Dual Pixel Autofocus (DPAF) on the front camera.
9to5Google says that by allowing the fingerprint reader to confirm the initial camera evaluation, Google may be confident enough to launch it on the base Pixel 6, even without DPAF. Also, it’s obviously being tested on basic hardware, and if it works, it might even show up on the Pixel 6a.
But internal testing and the full release are clearly two very different things, and the site also says it’s possible that this is just data collection for its possible inclusion in the Pixel 7.
We should know in the next few months — Google has promised that the next generation of Pixels will arrive this fall, and if the previous model is anything to go by, it’s likely to be revealed in October.
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