Google’s next flagship smartphone, Pixel 4 is at least a couple of months away from the launch and the company has already revealed a few new features that Google Pixel 4 will carry. In the latest blog, Brandon Barbello, Product Manager, Pixel, has confirmed the Motion Sense gestures support powered by Project Soli, Face Unlock with IR sensors, and Security and privacy principles for Pixel.
Motion Sense
Back in 2015, Google’ Advanced Technology and Projects team (ATAP) was working on Project Soli, a motion-sensing radar. Radar is the same technology that has been used for decades to detect planes and other large objects. Google has developed a miniature version located at the top of Pixel 4 that senses small motions around the phone, combining unique software algorithms with the advanced hardware sensor, so it can recognize gestures and detect when you’re nearby.
Pixel 4 will be the first device with Soli, powering Google’s Motion Sense features to allow you to skip songs, snooze alarms, and silence phone calls, just by waving your hand. Over time, Motion Sense will evolve as well. Motion Sense will be available in select Pixel countries.
Face unlock
Face unlock is not a new feature to the smartphone world and we have seen this for over two years now. Google says, Face unlock may be a familiar feature for smartphones, but we’re engineering it differently. While the other phones require you to lift the device all the way up, pose in a certain way, wait for it to unlock. Pixel 4 does all of that in a much more streamlined way.
When a user reaches for Pixel 4, Soli proactively turns on the face unlock sensors, recognizing that you may want to unlock your phone. If the face unlock sensors and algorithms recognize you, the phone will open as you pick it up, all in one motion. The face unlock works almost any orientation even if you’re holding it upside down and it can be used for secure payments and app authentication too.
Security and privacy with Pixel
Face unlock uses facial recognition technology that is processed on the device, so that image data never leaves the phone. The images used for face unlock are never saved or shared with other Google services. To protect the users’ privacy and security, the face data is securely stored in Pixel’s Titan Msecurity chip. Similarly, Soli sensor data is also processed on the phone, and it’s never saved or shared with other Google services.
So, with all the above features it looks like Google might remove the physical fingerprint scanner in the upcoming Pixel 4. What do you guys think? Drop a comment below and let us know, follow us on Twitter for more news and updates.
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