Google launched its latest phone version that will be available in the market on the 24th of October. While testing, It was observed by a journalist from BBC that the mobile’s face detection feature can allow you to access the phone despite your close eyes.
This poses a threat that your phone can be unlocked and accessed while you are sleeping, as discovered by the BBC. It makes Pixel 4 a less secure than Apple iPhone’s Face ID, which requires user’s attention and of course, OPEN EYES.
READ: Hey Google, why the hell doesn’t the Pixel 4’s camera app have a pro mode? (TNW)
Google has confirmed the issue found by Engadget and offered a workaround.
The company wrote in a statement that,
“We’ve 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……In the meantime, if any Pixel 4 users are concerned that someone may take their phone and try to unlock it while teir eyes are closed, they can activate a security feature that requires a pin, pattern or password for the next unlock.”
[Google’s] working on an option for users to require their eyes to be open to unlock the phone
More findings by The Verge show there was a more efficient feature of face detection that existed in previous versions of Pixel.
Except for this issue, Pixel 4’s face unlock system is quite secure which uses an infrared system that creates a depth map of the face so that it can’t be tricked by a printed photo.
“Pixel 4 face unlock meets the security requirements as a strong biometric, and can be used for payments and app authentication, including banking apps,” Google said. If you’re not feeling secure with the eyes-closed-only setting, for now, you need to enable the “lockdown” option as shown here. It can appear directly to the power menu option for quick access, and each time you enable the feature, it will force the user to enter a PIN.
Featured image: Extremetech
