Android 4 1 jelly bean liveness check face unlock – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Android 4.1 Jelly Bean ‘Liveness Check’ hopes to stop Face Unlock from being fooled by photos

Android 4.1 features a “Liveness Check” feature to Face Unlock that requires users to blink before gaining access to the phone.

Android 4.1 features a “Liveness Check” feature to Face Unlock that requires users to blink before gaining access to the phone.

Face Unlock has been a bit of a novelty ever since Google introduced it in Android 4.0, but any sense of security offered by the feature disappeared once it was revealed that it could be easily tricked by a photograph. For Google’s part it has always labeled the option as “low-security” and “experimental,” but it has now taken a step to stop photo-equipped thieves with a new “Liveness Check” that requires a user to blink before granting access to the phone. The search company has taken a page out of Samsung’s book by rolling out the blink-recognition technology, but don’t let the change fool you into trusting face unlock just yet. We’ve seen the system let in two vaguely similar-looking people through the lock screen before, so you’re still safer using a PIN for now.

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