Google Pixel 4 users seem to be facing issues with Face Unlock, wherein the phone isn’t recognising their faces. For some users, a notification to re-register their face is appearing even with their face data already enrolled. People took to Google Forum as well as Reddit to complain about the Face Unlock issue on Pixel 4.
A Reddit user said that the Face Unlock on his Pixel 4 stopped working suddenly. He wasn’t also able to delete his face unlock data in Settings as he kept getting the message that read, “Cannot verify face.” Some users also got a message, “Can’t verify face. Hardware not available.”
For others, the issue appeared after the January security update. In this case, the user kept getting a message after the update that face unlock might stop working and re-enrollment was needed. However, Face Unlock didn’t work even after the user re-enrolled face data. The message, “Can’t verify face. Try Again,” was displayed.
Doing a factory reset seems to have worked out for some users, however, Face Unlock continued to show error for others even after a factory reset. The issue doesn’t seem to have resolved also after resetting the smartphone in safe mode.
So far, Google doesn’t seem to be aware of the Face Unlock problems on Pixel 4 as the company has not officially announced an update to fix the problem. Google has ditched a fingerprint scanner on Pixel 4 so users for whom the Face Unlock is not working, there is the option of password, PIN or pattern for authentication.
Also read: Google Pixel 4’s Face Unlock feature has a major privacy problem that lets anyone open your phone
Face Unlock was touted as one of the highlight features of Pixel 4. Google said in its blog post that Pixel 4 uses Soli to unlock the phone instantly as the user picks it up. It also works in almost any orientation, which means users could unlock the device even if they are holding it upside down.
Originally Published at: INDIANEXPRESS.COM