It has just been announced that Google's Pixel 4 will be receiving a new update on the face unlock security feature after it was released five months ago; eye detection will now be added to make the device more secure. Recall that it was only five months ago that Google released its Pixel 4 XL and Pixel 4 with significant updates to Android's biometrics. This new update is in response to initial complaints about the face unlock feature.
Pixel 4's face unlock will have eye detection according to Google; How effective will it be?
The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL both have fingerprint sensors, which was later replaced by an array of infrared face unlock features similar to Apple's iPhone products. However, Pixel 4 users noticed a security malfunction: the face unlock of the Pixel 4 would automatically open the phone even if the eyes of the user were closed. Google promised to fix the said issue, and this recent update is now meant to address that.
For many mobile devices, not just Google's Pixel, the face-unlock feature is sometimes a difficult feature to use. According to a report in Extreme Tech, it was Apple's Face ID security feature that became the standard for most smartphones. It ensures that that the face being scanned is real, rather than a photo, through the help of 3D-mapping technology.
After the iPhone showed manufacturers everywhere the importance of a Face ID security feature, Android manufacturers began to focus on face unlock, which is now available on numerous Android phones. There was, however, an issue that arose since the Android devices were only using the front-facing camera to recognize the user's face. Using a 2D facial recognition feature is not as secure compared to units that have 3D face unlock.
Google then added a security update for a 3D face unlock feature in the Android 10 update of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. These units have a pair of infrared cameras, an IR flood illuminator, and an IR dot projector.
These features allow the user to unlock the phone by just glancing at the screen. This security feature can, theoretically, allow other people to open the user's Android phone by just pointing the screens at the user's face, even if, for example, the owner is sleeping. On the other hand, the Face ID feature of the iPhone will not work unless the person is actually looking directly at the phone's screen.
Learning from their mistakes, the eye-detection update is now available to rectify the security issue. The latest update on their mobile phones also includes some Bluetooth optimizations and their latest "Eyes Open" security for Face Match. The eye-detection update will not automatically work until the user activates the new feature in the Face Match settings.
