Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro Bring Back Face Recognition Feature Following Apple's Face ID Success

Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, Google's latest Pixel phones, saw the return of facial recognition on Thursday after a short hiatus due to challenges on cost and performance, according to three former employees at the Alphabet unit knowledgeable about the efforts.

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The feature on the new Pixel 7 is not as good Apple's Face ID unlocking mechanism, as it can struggle in low light and is more vulnerable to being spoofed.

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In addition, Google has said it is not secure enough to enable signing into apps or making payments. The return comes after Google became stricter about launching products with facial recognition, in part due to questions about its performance on darker skin.

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The company took time to review its approach to training and testing facial recognition since the previous Pixel with the capability launched in 2019, one of the sources said.

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Google declined to comment on several specific questions about its history with face unlock. It said generally, "Thanks to advanced machine learning models for face recognition, Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro feature Face Unlock, but we're doing it a little differently.

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" It added, "We achieve good facial accuracy performance with the front-facing camera." Google's pursuit of face unlock for Android smartphones spans at least a decade, but it came under greater pressure when Apple released Face ID in September 2017, the sources said.

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Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro Bring Back Face Recognition Feature Following Apple's Face ID Success

Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro's face recognition is not as good Apple's Face ID, as it can struggle in low light and is more vulnerable to being spoofed.

Brought to you by Tricky Enough

Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, Google's latest Pixel phones, saw the return of facial recognition on Thursday after a short hiatus due to challenges on cost and performance, according to three former employees at the Alphabet unit knowledgeable about the efforts.

Brought to you by Tricky Enough

The feature on the new Pixel 7 is not as good Apple's Face ID unlocking mechanism, as it can struggle in low light and is more vulnerable to being spoofed.

Brought to you by Tricky Enough

In addition, Google has said it is not secure enough to enable signing into apps or making payments. The return comes after Google became stricter about launching products with facial recognition, in part due to questions about its performance on darker skin.

Brought to you by Tricky Enough

The company took time to review its approach to training and testing facial recognition since the previous Pixel with the capability launched in 2019, one of the sources said.

Brought to you by Tricky Enough

Google declined to comment on several specific questions about its history with face unlock. It said generally, "Thanks to advanced machine learning models for face recognition, Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro feature Face Unlock, but we're doing it a little differently.

Brought to you by Tricky Enough

" It added, "We achieve good facial accuracy performance with the front-facing camera." Google's pursuit of face unlock for Android smartphones spans at least a decade, but it came under greater pressure when Apple released Face ID in September 2017, the sources said.

Brought to you by Tricky Enough