The new Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro from Google doesn’t improve upon the Pixel 6 series in any significant ways, but they do add some nice touches. And we think the new face unlock function on the Pixel 7 series will stick out the most. Yes, the Pixel 7 series has brought back the face unlock feature, and it does work as stated. The Pixel 7 supports facial recognition for unlocking the device; your question has been answered.
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro’s wide-angle 10.8MP selfie camera, along with a Machine Learning model, powers the device’s new face unlock capability. In other words, unlike the Pixel 4, there is no specialized 3D look open technology here. The Pixel 7’s face unlock isn’t foolproof in total darkness or even a somewhat dark room, so the lack of a specialized mechanism can be disastrous in those situations.
The display’s brightness can be increased to cast light on your face in the hopes that it will unlock, but there is no substitute for a dedicated 3D look unlock system with a flood illuminator and infrared camera. Keep this in mind if you intend to rely on the face open regularly, as you will likely have to resort to fingerprint unlock or a passcode when lighting conditions are less than ideal.
Facial recognition cannot be used to unlock the Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro in any other way than the lock screen. Fingerprint scanners and PIN/password combinations will be required for all other transactions and secure logins.
Since the user interface doesn’t tell you that you need to use your fingerprint, PIN, or password to unlock your phone for safe payments, you might be baffled as to why your transaction was refused after you used face unlock. This isn’t a deal breaker by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s clear that more secure systems, like Apple’s Face ID on iPhones, which can be used for unlocking, are far superior.
Seem a bit of poor UX is confusing a lot of Pixel 7 users right now. If you unlock your phone with face authentication and then try to make a contactless payment via Google Pay, the payment is declined and then you're asked to unlock your phone via fingerprint.
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) October 16, 2022
While recognizing its limits, we applaud Google for bringing a face to unlock the Pixel 7 line. A backup authentication option is helpful when you can’t use your phone’s touchscreen to input a PIN or passcode.
Don’t allow the absence of face unlock to deter you from making a purchase, though. With the Pixel 7 starting at just $599, there’s much to appreciate about Google’s newest smartphone line. Find a good deal on one of these phones and use the savings toward a new case. Here at Google Store, we’ve compiled a wide variety of options for you to choose from in our Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro cases.
How do you feel about the face unlock function on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro? You can tell us by writing a comment below.