Google has once again decided to get in front of all
of the Pixel 4 leaks and announce some of the upcoming features in a blog post. One of these new features is
Motion Sense. Based on Soli, the project Google started over four years ago,
Motion Sense will let you control basic functions on your Pixel 4 such as
skipping songs, snoozing alarms and silencing phone calls just by waving your
hands.
Motion Sense works with the help of a complex radar
system placed above the display that can sense even the smallest of movement.
As of now the system is only limited to recognizing simple hand-waving gestures
but it can be configured to do more complex things in future. Google does say,
however, that Motion Sense will only be available in select countries where
Pixel is available.
The other major feature announced today for the
Pixel 4 is Face unlock. This is not like the facial recognition that we have on
third-party Android manufacturer devices today, or what Android itself used to
have built-in at one point. This system is closer to the system Apple
introduced with the iPhone X in terms of complexity and more importantly,
security.
While current Android facial recognition systems
just take a picture of your face, Face unlock on Pixel 4 will scan a 3D map of
your face using a dot projector, IR camera and flood illuminator and then will
use that information to unlock. This is significantly more secure than just a
picture as it's far less likely to be spoofed.
The system is pretty much identical to the way it
functions on iOS in terms of hardware and Google also says it will save the
facial data securely in its Titan M chip so nobody will have access to it.
Where it differs from Face ID is in the implementation.
While iOS requires you to swipe up after Face ID
completes scanning your face, Face unlock on the Pixel 4 will sense your hand
moving towards the phone with the Soli radar chip and then power on the Face
unlock hardware and if it detects your face it will unlock the phone as you are
picking it up so you go straight to your homescreen or wherever you left your
phone. Google's system also works in any orientation, including upside down.
We are not yet sure if Google will still include a
fingerprint sensor on the device alongside Face unlock or go the Apple route
and forgo it entirely. There isn't one on the back of the phone but there could
still be one underneath the display. However, if we had to bet we would say
Google might just go all-in on the Face unlock feature. Google says the Pixel 4 will be coming later this
year.
