Facial recognition arrived on the latest Google Pixel phones.
The new Pixels supply an “upgraded” wide-angle selfie camera this year to replace disparate sensors on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. But as Google puts it, this authentication procedure depends on the company’s “advanced machine learning models” for facial recognition.
As a matter of comfort, Pixel 7 and 7 Pro owners will be able to rely on either their face or fingerprints to unlock their phone if they decide to set up all those authentication methods; there’s no special hybrid or two-factor system to unlocking these Pixels, just an abundance of biometric options.
Google has confirmed that its face unlocks component is only for the lock screen, and doesn’t pass the necessary biometric threshold to unlock apps like password managers, or substantiate mobile payments, like its under-screen fingerprint counterpart.
It operated well, including in dark conditions, with no more than a 1-in-50,000 chance that it would unlock a phone for an unauthorised face, according to Google.
Along with the latest lineups of Pixels devices, the older ones above Pixel 4 with Android 12 are all set to rock with facial recognition.
