We Really Think the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro Will Have Face Unlock

Face unlock is a feature we thought might come to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro at some point throughout the first year of their supported lives. We first saw the feature teased in marketing materials before the phones were launched last October, only to be disappointed when only fingerprint unlock was equipped on each. We’ve since seen multiple reports of code that references face unlock for the Pixel 6 Pro, giving us sustained hope that it might arrive in a Pixel Feature Drop. As you know, that’s never happened.

This week, Mishaal Rahman has found evidence that the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are very likely to both have face unlock. The devices have apparently popped up in the Google Play Console to reveal a handful of specs and with declared support for “android.hardware.biometrics.face,” which is face unlock.

My understanding is that with this support specifically listed out on the Google Play Console, it would be weird for the feature to not be there. It sure is looking like we’ll finally get face unlock, a necessary addition to lock screen security considering how bad the recent in-display fingerprint readers from Google have been.

As for specs revealed in this finding, Rahman’s screenshots point out that the Pixel 7 is listed as having 8GB RAM and a display with a 2400×1080 resolution. For the Pixel 7 Pro, we’re seeing 12GB RAM and a display with a 3120×1440 resolution.

6 days away.