The iPhone X was recently announced for a ludicrous price of $999 and perhaps the less we talk about that the better. What was significant about the launch of the latest iPhone was Apple dropping the traditional fingerprint sensor – Touch ID – in favor of a ‘new’ facial recognition Face ID.

Instead of using your fingerprint as a security mechanism to unlock your device you simply now look at your device for it to recognize your face and unlock the device. While Apple presented Face ID as some new kind of technology, did you know the facial recognition already exists on Android and has done for some time?

Samsung obviously introduced its own implementation of facial recognition with the Note 7, Galaxy S8, and Note 8, but the feature has been available since Android 5.0 Lollipop.

The feature is called “Trusted Face” and the idea is exactly the same as the iPhone X Face ID. You simply wake your device, look at your phone, and it’ll recognize your face and authorize your smartphone to be unlocked without needing to enter a PIN.

To address the elephant in the room, yes the iPhone X has additional sensors that will improve the accuracy and reliability of the facial recognition but the fundamentals are exactly the same.

If facial recognition like Face ID is something you think would like on Android then follow these simple steps.

  1. Enable a lock screen method such as a PIN or password.
  2. Head into settings and into the security menu.
  3. You’ll see “Smart Lock” as an option where you’ll be asked to confirm your PIN.
  4. From the Smart Lock menu, select “Trusted Face”.
  5. Follow the instructions to register your face by aligning it with the red circle.
  6. Lock your device and stare at your camera to unlock your device.

Pretty cool huh?

Ultimately results will be varied depending on lighting conditions and your smartphones camera quality but will nevertheless provide you with facial recognition similar to that found on the new iPhone X and Note 8.

Drop us a comment and let us know what you think of the feature and if it’s working well for you.

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