Code in an Android 17 beta suggests Pixel phones could light your face with the screen so face unlock works in the dark, but Google has not announced it.
Google may be teaching Pixel phones to use their own screen as a light for face unlock. Code in an Android 17 beta points to a feature called "Face Active Illumination." It would brighten the display when the camera cannot see you well, much like the front flash for selfies.
Face unlock relies on the camera, and a camera struggles in the dark. Android Authority found the feature in Android 17 QPR3 Beta 2 and got it running on a test phone. Here is what it found:
The code also hints at separate switches for Do Not Disturb, Bedtime mode and driving. A bright screen while driving at night would be a bad idea, so that control would make sense.
Google has not announced anything. One settings screen was still blank, which suggests the work is unfinished. Features found in beta code can change or disappear before release. The report also says this is not linked to Project Toscana, Google's separate and more ambitious face unlock effort. No release date or list of supported phones is available.
A Pixel screen that lights your face for unlock in the dark may be coming, but it is only beta code for now and could change or never ship.
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