Android 17 Beta Code Reveals Google's Face Illumination Plan
Code found in Android 17 QPR3 Beta 1 shows toggles for a 'Face Active Illumination' feature that aims to improve Pixel face unlock in low light.
Code discovered in Android 17 QPR3 Beta 1 indicates that Google is developing a feature called "Face Active Illumination" for Pixel devices, according to Android Authority. The feature is designed to improve the reliability of face unlock in low-light conditions by actively lighting up the user's face.
The code includes several user-facing toggles: one to activate illumination, a brightness scale control, and options to allow the feature during bedtime, driving, dark environments, and Do Not Disturb mode. The implementation appears within the Face Unlock settings, and an incomplete, seemingly empty user interface for the feature could be activated at this stage.
The feature may offer three brightness levels via a slider, though most strings in the app other than "Do Not Disturb" are obfuscated, making further details unclear.
Context
Google's modern face unlock on recent Pixel flagships holds a Class 3 biometric certification but has been noted as practically ineffective in low light. Separately, Project Toscana is a rumored secretive effort to overhaul facial authentication across Pixel devices, Chromebooks, and presumably Googlebooks.
Quick answers
What is Face Active Illumination?
It is a feature in development for Pixel devices that aims to improve face unlock reliability in low light by actively illuminating the user's face.
Where was Face Active Illumination found?
Code for the feature was discovered in Android 17 QPR3 Beta 1, according to Android Authority.
What controls does the feature offer?
The code includes toggles for activating illumination, controlling brightness scale, and allowing it during bedtime, driving, dark environments, and Do Not Disturb. It may offer three brightness levels via a slider.