Google is still actively developing face unlock for its Pixel phones

• Tyler Lee
• 2 years ago

At the moment, it seems that Apple’s iPhones with its TrueDepth cameras are still pretty much the only smartphones that have a reliable face recognition unlocking system. Google was originally supposed to have introduced the feature to the Pixel 6 Pro, but last we heard, the feature was pulled at the very last minute.

For those wondering where the feature is and if we will ever see it, don’t give up hope just yet. According to a recent 9to5Google report, it seems that underlying changes have revealed that Google is still working on the feature. According to the code, one way Google is exploring how to enable the feature would be to temporarily boost the CPU’s performance to help aid processing while unlocking the phone using facial recognition.

What’s interesting is that these changes seem to be specific to the Pixel 6 series of phones, suggesting that Google could still be very interested in bringing the feature to the Pixel 6 instead of making it an exclusive feature to the upcoming Pixel 7 series. It is possible that it may never make the cut for the Pixel 6, and that the Tensor 2 chipset that would be used for the Pixel 7 could be powerful and smart enough to process the facial data, along with the rumors of an upgraded front-facing camera.

Either way, it is a shame that the feature never made the cut for the Pixel 6 series, but hopefully Google will have figured something out for the Pixel 7. The Pixel 7 phones do not have a launch date at the moment, even though the handsets have been confirmed, but we expect that it should launch possibly in Q4 later this year.

Source: 9to5Google