# In Apple’s shadow, Google takes new route to face recognition on Pixel phones Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2022-10-07 Category: NEWS Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news Meta Title: Google Pixel 7 Facial Recognition Challenges and Return Meta Description: Discover the return of facial recognition on Google Pixel 7 phones, the challenges faced, and how it compares to Apple's Face ID. Learn more here! URL: https://financedigest.com/in-apples-shadow-google-takes-new-route-to-face-recognition-on-pixel-phoneshtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/2022-10-06t234944z4lynxmpei9515urtroptp4alphabet-google-hardware-1736815083538-compressed.jpg) By Paresh Dave (Reuters) – Facial recognition returned to the latest Google Pixel phones on Thursday after a short hiatus due to challenges on cost and performance, according to three former employees at the Alphabet Inc unit knowledgeable about the efforts. The feature on the new Pixel 7 is not as good Apple Inc’s Face ID unlocking mechanism, as it can struggle in low light and is more vulnerable to being spoofed. In addition, Google has said it is not secure enough to enable [signing into apps or making payments](https://www.financedigest.com/italys-nexi-signs-digital-payments-deal-with-tims-olivetti.html "Italy’s Nexi signs digital payments deal with TIM’s Olivetti"). The return comes after Google became stricter about launching products with [facial recognition](https://www.financedigest.com/2022-the-year-that-facial-recognition-will-lead-the-fintech-industry.html "2022 – The year that facial recognition will lead the fintech industry"), in part due to questions about its performance on darker skin. The company took [time to review its approach](https://www.financedigest.com/anti-money-laundering-time-to-take-a-new-approach.html "ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING: TIME TO TAKE A NEW APPROACH?") to training and testing facial recognition since the previous Pixel with the capability launched in 2019, one of the sources said. Google declined to comment on several specific questions about its history with face unlock. It said generally, “Thanks to advanced machine [learning models](https://www.financedigest.com/learning-from-the-disrupters-how-finance-brands-can-build-transformative-business-models.html "Learning from the disrupters – how finance brands can build transformative business models") for face recognition, Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro feature Face Unlock, but we’re doing it a little differently.” It added, “We achieve good facial accuracy performance with the front-facing camera. Google’s pursuit of face unlock for Android smartphones spans at least a decade, but it came under greater [pressure when Apple](https://www.financedigest.com/exclusive-tinder-owner-match-ups-antitrust-pressure-on-apple-in-india-with-new-case.html "Exclusive-Tinder-owner Match ups antitrust pressure on Apple in India with new case") released Face ID in September 2017, the sources said. To that point, Google struggled to devise a system that both performed quickly and was impervious to spoofing, or the use of [photos or hyper-realistic costumes to fool someone else’s phone](https://www.financedigest.com/snap-happy-79-of-brits-ditch-digital-cameras-in-favour-of-phone-photos.html "Snap Happy: 79% of Brits ditch digital cameras in favour of phone photos") into unlocking, one of the sources said. [Engineers toyed with requiring a smile or a blink – proving a person’s “liveness”](https://www.financedigest.com/white-bullets-integration-with-silverbullets-next-generation-context-outcomes-engine-4d-is-now-live.html "White Bullet’s integration with Silverbullet’s next generation Context Outcomes Engine, 4D, is now live") – to combat spoofing but it was awkward and slow, the source said. Another source noted that after the [arrival of Apple’s Face](https://www.financedigest.com/china-arrivals-in-uk-next-week-will-not-face-compulsory-covid-tests-independent.html "China arrivals in UK next week will not face compulsory COVID tests -Independent") ID, which uses a depth-sensing and infrared camera called TrueDepth to map a face, Google executives signed off on a comparable technology. Google’s Pixel 4, released in 2019, called its infrared depth-sensing setup uDepth. It performed well, including in dark conditions, with no more than a 1-in-50,000 chance that it would unlock a phone for an unauthorized face, according to Google. But the gear was expensive. And while Apple [sells 240 million iPhones](https://www.financedigest.com/this-is-the-best-week-for-cash-savvy-iphone-fans-to-sell-their-6s-models.html "This is the best week for cash-savvy iPhone fans to sell their 6s models") annually, Google has topped out at a few million, preventing it from buying parts at the volume discounts Apple does. Google dropped uDepth in the Pixel 5 in 2020 [due to costs](https://www.financedigest.com/dsm-misses-q1-forecasts-due-to-weak-volumes-and-high-costs.html "DSM misses Q1 forecasts due to weak volumes and high costs"), the sources said. Face masking because of the pandemic gave [Google reason to exclude the feature from last year’s](https://www.financedigest.com/a-year-in-property-google-searches-reveal-what-buyers-were-looking-for-this-year.html "A year in property: Google searches reveal what buyers were looking for this year") Pixel 6 and additional research time, two sources said. Face unlock on the new phones relies on a typical front camera. But unlike the previous system, it cannot [securely unlock apps and payments](https://www.financedigest.com/allpay-signs-with-eckoh-to-secure-telephone-payments.html "allpay signs with Eckoh to secure telephone payments") because Google says spoofing chances – such as by holding up a user’s photo – are greater than 20%, above the 7% threshold it requires to be considered most “secure. Low light and sunglasses also can cause trouble, Google says, noting fingerprint unlock remains an alternative. (Reporting by Paresh Dave; Editing by Kenneth Li and Leslie Adler) --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---