The launch of iPhone X marked the introduction of a whole new technology of unlocking a smartphone. The Face ID, through which a person can unlock his/her iPhone X simply by looking at it.
Mark my words. The technology used by Apple, TrueDepth Camera, is definitely new but the concept is not entirely new. Android has face unlock ever since 2011.
But this feature remained hidden, as it never came into the limelight. Until now.
Recently announced OnePlus 5T also has a similar feature but it doesn’t sport the TrueDepth Camera, as found on the iPhone X.
Now with OnePlus coming up with this feature, I am sure that other OEMs will also incorporate Face Unlock on their phones. 2018 will be all about phones having Face Unlock.
But like I said earlier, Android phones already have it by default.
So if you really like Face Unlock on Android and want it too, read on as you are at the right place.
Things to Remember
Before I take you to the guide, there are a couple of things which you need to keep in mind.
a) Face Unlocking is possible only if your device runs on Android Ice-Cream Sandwich or higher versions of Android.
b) This feature is only available on devices running on Stock Android or running on Custom ROMs like Lineage OS or Resurrection Remix.
How to Setup Face Unlock on Android?
Alright, this feature doesn’t go by the name ‘Face Unlock’. Instead, it is called as Trusted Face.
Trusted Face is a part of Smart Lock feature which was introduced to Android with the Lollipop update. The idea behind Trusted Face is same. You register your face using the front camera and then every time you try to unlock the phone, Trusted face compares your face with the registered face and unlocks the device if it matches.
Here’s how you can setup Face Unlock or Trusted Face on your Android device:
Step 1: Open up your phone’s Settings. Look for an option called Security and tap on it.
Step 2: On the next window, tap on Smart Lock.
It might be locked, you can get access to it by the registered fingerprint or drawing the pattern, as the case may be.
Step 3: You’ll notice a bunch of options. For this guide, tap on Trusted Face.
Step 4: You’ll see a quick introduction to Trusted Face. Just tap on SET UP and then on NEXT to proceed.
Step 5: Make sure that there is ample light in the room, keep your head and chin in between the circle and let the Trusted Face capture your face. It will not take more than a few seconds.
Once your face is registered, you’ll see a message saying Face Added.
That’s it. You’ve successfully added your face to the Trusted Face.
How to Unlock your Android Device using your Face?
Basically, you don’t need to do anything extraordinary to unlock your phone. All you’ve got to do is look at your device and let the phone recognize your face using the front camera. If the face matches with the registered face, the device will unlock. Now just swipe and you’ll be taken straight to where you left off.
You’ll see a little face icon at the bottom of the screen. (Refer Screenshot)
When the device recognizes your face, the face icon will change to unlock icon, telling you that your device is now unlocked.
If for any reason, the Trusted Face is unable to recognize your face, you’ll see a little Lock Icon in place of the face icon.
But remember…
1. Trusted Face is not as fast as iPhone X’s Face ID or OnePlus 5T’s Face Unlock.
2. Trusted Face is not as secure as your Fingerprint or PIN or Pattern or Password.
3.There are a few circumstances where Trusted Face will not recognize your face. They are:
- When you are trying to unlock your phone in a dark room.
- It will not recognize your face if you are wearing a hat or sunglasses.
- In some cases, it might also fail to recognize you if you grow a beard or shave it, as the case may be.
While it’s true that Trusted Face is not as reliable or smart or quick as iPhone’s X, but still it is really good to have a new way to unlock a device which does not demand any remembering or touching. (I mean the Fingerprint Scanner.)
How to Remove Trusted Face from your Android Device?
If for some reason you don’t like Trusted Face or Face Unlock on your Android, you can remove it easily.
You need to follow these quick easy steps:
Step 1: Head over to your phone’s Settings. Scroll down till you find Security and then tap on it.
Step 2: Tap on Smart Lock and then tap on Trusted Face.
Step 3: You’ll see an option called Remove Trusted Face. Tap on it and then tap Remove again.
There you have it guys. What do you think about Trusted Face? Are you going to use it? Or will you just stick to your normal way of unlocking? Let me know.
In case, you are facing any kind of issue with setting up Trusted Face, let me know in the comments. I might come of some help.
And if you liked this article, don’t forget to share it with your friends and colleagues on your Social Network.
