Google will update the Pixel 4 to fix face unlock failures. They will avoid unlocking the mobile with their eyes closed, something that other mobile phones on the market already do.
We previously noted that the new facial recognition unlock feature on the Pixel 4 has a security flaw . Pre-release software included a setting that would prevent Face Unlock from working with closed eyes. However, this option has been removed from the version of the phone that will ship this week. This is significant because someone could potentially unlock the phone even while the owner is asleep or unconscious by holding the phone up to their face. In contrast, Face ID on Apple's iPhone requires the user to be conscious with their eyes open to function.
The good news for those buying a Pixel 4 is that Google will add the missing option in a software update. The bad news is that this could take months. An email sent by a Google spokesperson says the following.
We have been working on an option for users to require their eyes to be open to unlock the phone, which will be delivered in a software update in the coming months.
Correcting facial unlocking
Google has a suggestion for those worried about getting knocked out and using their face to unlock their phone. The company recommends that the pattern or PIN lock feature be enabled. Enabling the lock will disable Face Unlock and require a PIN, password, or pattern to unlock the device. Once the lock is activated, it will need to be reset each time the phone is unlocked. This requires the user to press the power button for a few seconds and then tap Lock.
Just as Apple did the same with the iPhone models with Face ID, Google has removed the fingerprint scanner from the Pixel 4 line. That leaves its facial recognition system the only biometric security feature on the new Pixel models. To make things easier for Pixel 4 users, Google integrated its radar-based Motion Sense feature with its facial recognition system. As the user approaches the device and lifts it from a table, Face Unlock is activated. The phone is quickly unlocked in one motion without the user having to touch the screen or touch any buttons.
More secure unlocking on the Pixel 4
Google isn't the only phone manufacturer with a biometric issue. A similar bug has been found in the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10 5G, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy Note 10+. This bug allows anyone to unlock one of these models if the screen is covered by a screen protector . As Samsung stated, the bug mistakenly identifies "three-dimensional patterns on certain silicone screen protectors as users' fingerprints." Samsung also suggests that anyone using one of the aforementioned models refrain from using a screen protector, delete saved fingerprints, and re-register their fingerprints.
This bug was discovered in the UK when a woman living in West Yorkshire had protected her Galaxy S10 with a cheap screen protector that she bought on eBay. He found that with the screen protector on, he could unlock the phone with his left thumb. Nothing out of the ordinary there except the fact that she never registered her left thumb on the device. Soon, he discovered that any finger could unlock his phone with the screen saver on.
Source: PhoneArena
