The fingerprint reader on the Google Pixel 6 was not exactly something to write home about, which made the absence of Face Unlock on the handset even more galling to new buyers.
Now there is some indication the feature will be returning to the Google Pixel 6 Pro.
The evidence was uncovered by 9to5Google, who found reference to the feature in the latest Android 12L Beta.
9to5Google’s APK Insight Team found some lines in the Settings app of the Android 12 L Beta suggesting the feature will be supported in the future.
The strings read:
<string name=”biometric_settings_use_face_or_fingerprint_preference_summary”>Using face or fingerprint</string>
<string name=”biometric_settings_use_face_preference_summary”>Using face</string>
<string name=”biometric_settings_use_fingerprint_preference_summary”>Using fingerprint</string>
Unlike previously, where Google did Face Unlock with hardware, there is some evidence Google will do this via the camera, with reference to Face Authentication found as an “experimental” feature in the camera software.
com.google.pixel.experimental2021.faceAuthUseCases
com.google.pixel.experimental2021.faceAuthROIs
The 9to5Google team notes that there is no evidence the feature will be supported in the Google Pixel 6, with that device lacking any of the same references.
