Camera-based face unlock has one embarrassing weakness: it can’t recognize what it can’t see, which means it doesn’t work well in the dark.
Looks like Google already knows this, and it’s working on a fix. Code spotted in Android 17 QPR3 Beta 2 points to a new feature called “Face Active Illumination,” which would brighten the display to light your face, similar to how the front flash works with selfies.
How would Face Active Illumination work?
Android Authority spotted the feature earlier this month, then dug deeper into the beta and coaxed it onto a test phone.
It will likely appear as a “Brighten screen in low light” toggle in the Face Unlock settings menu. By default, the supported Pixel phone brightens its screen only when it can partly see you. Meanwhile, a “Complete darkness” option could cover pitch-black scenarios.
A slider runs from Comfort to Reliable, with a note that lower levels may be less dependable. In my experience, camera-only unlocking doesn’t always work in a dim room, especially at night with no lights on, so I’d stick to Reliable.
When would the screen light up?
The interesting bit is that the code also hints at per-situation switches. For instance, you might be able to allow increasing the screen’s brightness differently (or not) for the Do Not Disturb mode, in Bedtime mode, and while driving,
A bright screen in your face while you’re sitting behind the wheel at night sounds like a terrible idea, so I’m genuinely glad Google handled it. The outlet says this isn’t connected to Project Toscana, Google’s more ambitious face-unlock effort that keeps resurfacing every now and then.
Google hasn’t announced anything, and one settings screen was still blank (as shown in the screenshots), so it’s clearly unfinished. Teardowns show it’s a work in progress. However, please keep in mind that features can vanish before launch.
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