Face Unlock gets a ‘Liveness Check’ in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Astrix

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 7, 2012
383
96
Face Unlock on Jelly Bean now checks if you’re a photo?
Asks you to blink



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Ice Cream Sandwich’s Face Unlock feature has received plenty of criticism, most of which centers around the accuracy and reliability of using the method to access one’s phone. For those still worried that Face Unlock could be spoofed using a still photo of the phone’s owner, Google has a response in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. A new “liveness check” can be enabled that will require a user to blink before the device will unshackle the lockscreen.


The addition adds an extra layer of security to the feature, but it still remains more of a neat party trick than anything super useful. Raise your hand if you use Face Unlock as the main way to access your device. I’m guessing not many do. While cool, the process takes a bit more time than simply typing in a pin or swiping a pattern. With the added blink procedure things slow down even more. And even with the additional security, Face Unlock still doesn’t feel like the most reliable way to keep your phone under lock and key.


Still, it is great to see Google continuing to improve on the feature. If they can do with Face Unlock what they have done with things like Voice Search and speech dictation, then someday it may become a true killer feature.


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Source and Thanks: Jays2Kings@Android Central
 

TF700

Member
Oct 6, 2012
44
1
I just upgraded to JB and when I go to the screen for Face Lock, I cannot see some of the items showing in your screen capture above.

For instance, I cannot see "Improved face matching" and cannot see "Liveness check".

Looks like I have the "old" Face Unlock maybe??

Do you have any idea what I am doing wrong if that is the case?

Thanks.
 
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