Nokia 5 and 6 2017 gain Face Unlock with Android 8.1 update *Updated*
Update: This feature was already available on Nokia phones with Android, regardless if they run Android 8.0 or 8.1. Sorry for the confusion.
Original post
With the recent Nokia devices HMD announced at MWC2018, they also introduced Face Unlock, a feature that allows you to unlock your phone by using your face. This feature is for quite some time available on (some) Android devices (since Nexus S from 2010, if not earlier, if I remember correctly), but it became relevant again when Apple announced the iPhone X, that ditched the fingerprint reader and implemented a face scanning feature, that’s more advanced than regular face unlock using the camera.
HMD Global announced that Face Unlock will be available on the new Nokia 6.1, but it’s also there for Nokia 7 plus and 8 Sirocco. A lot of people on social media are asking for this feature, even though the fingerprint sensor still seems to be a better option, in my opinion. Anyway, if you have the old Nokia 6 and Nokia 5, you can set up the face unlock feature for unlocking your device.
The feature can be found in Settings->Security & location->Smart Lock->Trusted Face. To set up smart unlock, you have to add some protection on your lockscreen in the form of a PIN or pattern. The bad thing, or better to say an inconvenience with this feature is that it unlocks the lockscreen, but first you have to click the power button, then after the phone recognize your face, you have to swipe up to really “unlock” the screen. If the device doesn’t recognize you and you swipe up, you will have to enter the PIN or other security option you selected.
What do you think about face unlock? I find it impractical compared to the fingerprint sensor. Leave your opinion down below. 🙂
Note: The article was edited because the “Trusted Face” feature isn’t a new addition with Android 8.1.
