A key security upgrade for the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold has just been revealed

Better face recognition

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Earlier this week,Googledid a comprehensive job of unveiling theGoogle Pixel 9 Pro Fold(and the rest of the Pixel 9 series), but more specs and features are coming to light after the event – including a key security upgrade for the successor to theGoogle Pixel Fold.

As reported byAndroid Police, the face unlock feature on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a step up from the original Pixel Fold. While the previous foldable also had face recognition (alongside fingerprint recognition), on the new model it’s harder to fool.

That means you can use your face to unlock secure apps (such as password managers or banking apps), as well as to unlock the phone itself. It’s a little bit of extra peace of mind should someone else gain access to your phone.

You can verify the upgrade on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold by opening Settings and heading toSecurity & privacy,Device lock, andFingerprint & face unlock. On that screen you’ll find the option to use your face to get into the most secure apps on the handset.

Different class

While plenty of Android phones offer face unlock, they don’t all offer the same degree of accuracy and reliability – the sort of accuracy and reliability you get with Face ID onApplehandsets such as the iPhone 15, for example.

It’s all down to the hardware and software built into the phone. A standard front-facing selfie camera can recognize a face, but can also be tricked with a picture of someone – making it a less-than-impregnable protection measure.

With an extra depth sensor to measure the contours of a face, the technology is much more robust. This is known as class 3 biometric protection, the highest there is, and it seems likely that this is what the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has.

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Head over to ourGoogle Pixel 9 Pro Fold hands-onto find out about our early impressions of the device, and we’ll be following up with a full review soon. We’ve also been spending time with thePixel 9,Pixel 9 Pro, andPixel 9 Pro XLas well.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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