TL;DR Google is developing a new advanced face unlock system called “Project Toscana” for Pixel phones and Chromebooks.
Toscana is designed to perform better in challenging lighting conditions than Google’s current face unlock feature on Pixels.
This aligns with previous reporting that Google is developing IR face unlock for the Pixel 11 series.
Since Apple introduced Face ID on the iPhone X in 2017, no company has managed to crack the code for face unlock on Android phones. We’ve seen attempts here and there, but nothing that’s caught on for mainstream devices. However, that may soon change, thanks to none other than Google itself.
According to an anonymous source, Android Authority has learned that Google is developing “Project Toscana” — the company’s latest attempt at advanced facial recognition for not just Android phones, but Chromebooks, too.
Per our source, Google recently tested Project Toscana with UX testers in Mountain View, CA. Our source used Project Toscana on a Pixel phone with a single hole-punch camera cutout and on two Chromebooks with external cameras (of which the circuitry and motherboard were exposed, so not the final design).
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Importantly, the tests were conducted under various lightning conditions, and according to our source, Project Toscana worked just as quickly as Face ID on the iPhone. It’s unclear what technology Google is using for Project Toscana (likely IR, though unconfirmed), but it’s clearly a more advanced approach compared to the current face unlock feature on Pixel phones today.
As you might recall, this isn’t the first time Google has dabbled with face unlock technology. The Pixel 4 series used a combination of radar sensors and IR cameras for 3D facial recognition, and while it worked well, Google abandoned the tech a year later.
According to our source, Project Toscana worked just as quickly as Face ID on the iPhone.
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