Google's Pixel 4 face unlock feature may be faster than Face ID

By Daniel Bader
last updated

What you need to know

  • A new leak shows the Pixel 4's face unlock feature in action
  • It looks super fast.
  • It'll be able to skip the lock screen.

The Pixel 4 leaks just keep on coming. Earlier today, 9to5Google leaked a bevy of information about the upcoming phone via marketing videos that show its features at work. We know about the new Google Assistant experience on the phone, the way Motion Sense gestures work and how users will train the Soli sensor. We also saw the first official pictures taken with the Pixel 4, which look pretty fantastic.

Now we're seeing for the first time how the new face unlock feature will work. Based on another snippet from a leaked marketing video, users won't need to tap or move their phone to get to the home screen; simply walking into view of the new sensors will wake the phone and allow the authenticated person to either swipe to unlock, or if enabled merely skip the lock screen entirely as go straight to the home screen.

While other Android phones, like the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and more recently the Mate 30 Pro, have offered 3D face unlock, Google's will be the first that ties into Android's new biometrics APIs, allowing users to make payments and enter secure apps.

We previously saw the face unlock feature mentioned in Google's surprise tease/leak earlier this summer.

Daniel Bader
Daniel Bader

Daniel Bader was a former Android Central Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor for iMore and Windows Central. 

4 Comments
  • I wonder if they will allow other forms of secure face unlock to allow purchases now. It's a pain to use face unlock, then have to turn the phone off and unlock with the FPS or a PIN because Google assumes your face unlock is weak like Samsung's.
  • What was wrong with FP tech exactly? So much more reliable and easy to use. Smh.
  • Having an iPhone 11 Pro (and others before it) and a Pixel 3, I don't agree that FP is more reliable and easier. The reliability of Apple's face ID is at least on par with anyone's FP tech. I'd say it is better. As far as convenience, it couldn't be easier. I don't have to hold the phone in a certain way to allow my finger to find a sensor. I just pick up my phone and look at it, which is what I was picking up the phone to do in the first place. It's easy to forget the phone was actually locked. Over time I have actually come to prefer Apple's Face ID. I can't really speak for other Android face unlock solutions. They may not be as effective. I'm hoping Google's is comparable to Apple's. I'd welcome that.
  • Lot of preaching for Google pixel as always! We all know that Google is using software as additional benefit for pixal. This is aome sort of prejudice.