The flagship Google Pixel 6 Pro was originally scheduled to launch with a face unlocking secure access option, but Google pulled it from the list of launch features shortly before the phone was released, reports 9to5Mac, citing insider sources.
Face unlocking may still be, erm, unlocked, pun intended, with a future software update coming the Pixel 6 Pro way, continues the report, as it only needs the front camera to work. The Pixel 6 Pro has a better, 11MP camera at the front, compared to an 8MP one on the Pixel 6.
There is no Soli radar or infrared camera like on the Pixel 4, or a flood illuminator as on Apple's notch-y iPhones with Face ID, so Google would be relying solely on the camera hardware for the face unlocking feature of the Pixel 6 Pro.
Apparently, the 8MP one on the Pixel 6 apparently just wouldn't cut it, despite that barely anyone can do face recognition and computational photography better than Google. In any case, Google had the ability to "face and fingerprint unlock" listed in several marketing materials abroad, print and online, before it pulled any mention of it later.
The face unlocking option, however, will probably be arriving with the next Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro quarterly update, meaning that you may be able to have an alternative secure biometric access to your Google flagship phone this summer.
Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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