Why the Pixel 8's Face Unlock upgrade is a big deal
Why the Pixel 8's Face Unlock upgrade is a big deal
Face unlock on the Pixel 8 doesn’t compromise on security.
I feel like the main reason it's a big deal is the fact that the front-facing fingerprint scanner sucks ass.
Yup, I'd prefer a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone than what we have today
Or power button. Even the Samsung screen sensors haven't been as reliable as the good old dedicated ones.
Me too. Back facing fingerprint sensors were so ergonomic and responsive. Phone makers literally unanimously decided to throw away the best option for all kinds of sub optimal alternatives.
Biggest thing I miss about my Pixel 3. And the size.
Same! I miss being able to use it for swipe actions like I could on my note 9 a few years ago too..
That coupled with gestures on the sensor is absolute goat
I have a Pixel 7 Pro. I came from an S22 Ultra (ultrasonic) and I find the one on the P7 Pro to only be marginally worse. Instead of 95/100 it's probably closer to 90/100. The most annoying thing for me is that it blasts like which (at night) can be annoying. But have you used it personally? I'm interested if there's something that makes it noticeably worse for some people.
I have a pixel 6. In addition to the occasional missed swipes in general, which are annoying and count for something compared to the 100% instant unlock rate I had with my rear scanner, I feel like if I'm not careful about the exact angle at which I tap my thumb, or the exact position where I center my thumb, it registers wrong. When I hold my phone naturally, my thumb is positioned wrong, it comes in a little too sideways to register. So after I get it wrong a couple of times, I need to carefully hold my phone in an awkward position or bend my thumb in a weird way to make sure I hit the exact right spot at the exact right angle. And then sometimes it's still wrong, so I try to change the position and use a different finger. And with all that effort, I've still gotten locked out of my phone a couple of times.
None of that shit with the rear scanner, it just works, my phone is always unlocked before I see it.
They should have just used the Qualcomm ultrasonic sensor that Samsung uses under their displays. It is brilliant and even works through some types of screen protectors, and some types of (medical) gloves. But Google seems hell-bent on never using Qualcomm components in their phones anymore, to the detriment of their users.
I was gunna say, my Samsung front glass sensor is excellent , as fast as previous back glass ones.
I prefer side mound of back, purely for ergonomics, but otherwise its very rare I get issues.
I'm not sure what I've done differently, but my under screen reader on my 6 pro is more reliable than the back reader on my pixel 3.
Obviously my one data point doesn't negate the vast swathes of people who do have issues, but for me I may not even elect to use face unlock. Seems unnecessarily insecure.
Mine has also been very reliable.
Same here, every time I make a comment on this topic I get shot back that the fingerprint reader on phone X is wonderful. In my experience, the only fingerprint readers that consistently worked were those on the back of the phone. In either case, I’ll take face unlock any day over a fingerprint reader. Just another thing that Apple got right and then never looked back. 
Still disappointing that it isn't using a proper IR illuminator. Apple's Face ID is still better, and the DyNaMiC iSlAnD doesn't take up that much space. I've adjusted to having a fingerprint sensor on my Pixel 6 Pro, but the thing is so much slower.
Keep in mind you don't have to have a slow fingerprint sensor, Google just managed to fuck that up
I've never understood these comments mine opens just as fast as my Samsung
Yeah, I've heard this one is particularly bad. It's broadly fine but it is definitely slower than the one in my old OnePlus 7 Pro.
I paid $250 for the phone refurbished so I have a hard time complaining too much.
I've found that going back to a plastic film cover instead of glass made the fingerprint scanner work every time. Having said that, I'd much rather have a glass screen protector. This new design forced me to buy a different screen protector and case style than I'm used to, and imo, my case / screen protector is a downgrade. I usually buy cases with built in screen protectors, but every one of those I tried were shit with the fingerprint reader. This, like so many of Google's 'innovations' is a terrible idea. They've clearly run out of ideas on what to do next with hardware on smartphones. I just want my 2011 phone with 2023 performance / OS. Everything they've done after that has been a downgrade.
I get that it's a convenience, but does anyone else still avoid face and fingerprint unlocks? It seems useless if I was forced to unlock my phone by someone violent, like the police.
It seems useless if I was forced to unlock my phone by someone violent, like the police.
My life seems a great deal more boring and uneventful than most people around these parts.
it's Lemmy most of us are very big on privacy and such it's not the fact most really at risk for that just that it could happen and would rather be safe then sorry
I feel like a short password is a much bigger security risk.
There are ways to disable the fingerprint scan in the moment. Different phones have different norms around this, but one universal option: pick a finger to not code into your phone. When a cop asks you to unlock your phone, say okay, use that finger five times in a row, oh no, you're locked out, man, this fingerprint reader sure is finnicky, oh well!
Pins and passwords is something people can glance at to find out what it is. And there's cameras all around. It's why I preferred finger or face unlock in public, and worst case scenario I can turn off phone to require a pin.
If you're that concerned, if you power your phone off, biometrics will not unlock the phone after it's turned back on, only the pin. So if you find yourself in a predicament where you think someone will try to unlock your phone without your consent via biometrics, as, long as you turn your phone off before they get it, they won't be able to get in without a PIN.
If you're being assaulted you may not have time to turn it off. I don't know about pixels but my phone doesn't just shut off when I hold the power button. I have to hold it and then select power off. That would be difficult if I was under attack by someone who wanted my phone.
You don't even need to turn it off. Long press the power button and then hit lock
I just disable fingerprint with a a button press if it comes to it but I also don't go anywhere lol.
Also Homeland Security has my fingerprints and iris for an old job so... meh.
I do, but I question the point. Anyone that wanted to get into my phone would probably already be monitoring me and honestly I'm not that cautious of entering my pattern/password when (for example) travelling on the bus.
How often does that happen?
As long as finger/face scans stay secured on device it's pretty innocuous imo. And you can quickly enter the "lockdown" state, which disables biometrics. Law enforcement cannot force you to enter passwords in any civilized country I know of.
in the power menu you can also disable biometrics on next lock until you open it again on some phones in the pixel does and pretty sure Samsung does as well
Cool to see they managed to incorporate it. I like the idea of face unlock but for me it's not convenient enough. Hard to use like if I'm sitting at my desk and phones sitting on top, I need to hover my face over it awkwardly until it sees me, and if I'm laying in bed or on the couch, it won't recognize me either. I'll always be loyal to the trusty fingerprint reader.
I think it works best in combination with fingerprint scanner.
Like when your fingers are wet and are difficult to scan. Whilst trying to make the scanner work, face unlock just does it for you.
But, yes, if it were one or the other, fingerprint scanner is simply way more convenient.
If it doesn't have ir illuminators how it can't be fooled by a video playing back on a tablet? AI isn't magic, there's no way it can distinguish a properly made video playing on another screen. Even an human can't distinguish that in that super short time
Example: make a video recording from the front camera of someone doomscrolling. Then play this on another screen, perfectly parallel, and at a distance where bezels can't be seen.
Happy to see it return. I would have really missed secure face unlock going from a 4XL to 8 Pro. Though I doubt the 8 Pro will work in complete darkness like the 4XL could.
I don't understand the recent trends of ditching the upper camera bezel and doing questionable things like cutouts, islands, etc. that disturb the dimensions of the screen in odd ways. Did people really dislike having a dedicated area just for the camera and other sensors? I'd rather have a complete uninterrupted screen and upper bezel.
So happy android has caught up to iPhone for this.
It hasn't, the big flagships all just use a camera instead of an IR dot cloud