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Chase is rolling out support for Pixel 4 face unlock more widely
Chase's Twitter support says it's slowly been rolling out since June 2
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More and more apps support Android 10's biometrics API, which means that they work with the Pixel 4's face unlock mechanism for authentication, saving you from typing in your password or PIN over and over again. One of the Big Four banks in the US is now getting ready to jump on the bandwagon for its app: Chase. After an initially extremely slow rollout, it seems that the feature is now in the hands of many more people.
Myki password manager adds face unlock on the Pixel 4
My favorite password manager is now all up to date with Android 10's biometrics API
Password managers and 2FA apps are a personal affair. From cloud to self-hosting to offline, there are different approaches that try to balance out convenience and security, and every one of us will end up weighing those differently and picking what works for them. I used Enpass for several years, but for the past 18 months or so, I found myself gravitating toward Myki. Now the app has finally added Android 10's biometrics API in v1.27, which means it supports face unlock on the Pixel 4.
Discover's banking app now supports face unlock on the Pixel 4
More and more apps support the new biometrics API
The Pixel 4 and Android 10 brought us a new approach to biometric unlocks in the form of face recognition. To implement that technology, Google had to introduce a biometrics API that isn't compatible with the fingerprint interface of old. That's why all apps that have previously supported biometric fingerprint authentication have to be updated to work with the new API, which seems to be a painfully slow process. The latest app to add biometric face unlock is Discover's banking app.
6 months with Face Unlock on the Pixel 4: Anecdotes, surprises, and disappointments
Face masks, sunglasses, app adoption, and more
Although some form of face unlocking has been available on Android for years now, the secure method that relies on IR only started popping up on devices in the last year or two. Adoption of the feature has skyrocketed in recent times, and Google finally added face authentication to the biometrics API in Android 10. Since most flagships are now launching with no fingerprint scanner and just face unlock as a security method — to the joy and dismay of many — I decided to step back and take a look at my personal experience with the feature.
Microsoft OneDrive adds face unlock support on the Pixel 4
Keep your files protected without sacrificing ease of access
More and more apps are adopting Android 10's official biometrics API, which means they now support both fingerprint authentication and face unlock, and will adapt to your phone. The latest one to join the fray is Microsoft's One Drive.
More and more banking apps are adding support for Android 10's new biometrics API that allows you to use the Pixel 4's face unlock mechanism to access your account, mitigating the need to fill in your password over and over again. Ally Bank is the latest financial institution to join this growing group. The newest version of the Ally Mobile app now supports both fingerprint and face unlock, depending on your device.
Not every app out there supports the Pixel 4's face unlock system for biometric authentication (yet), but those on the hunt for compatible apps have one more choice today. Credit Karma is the latest addition to the party.
The Google Pixel 4 comes with a new face unlock mechanism that requires its very own Android 10 API — thus, it doesn't function with many existing apps that only support fingerprint authentication. Some developers have been quick to add the new security feature, but others still haven't integrated it. USAA is no longer among the latter category, as the association has updated its app with the biometrics API.
Pixel 4 owners using Simple for their banking needs will soon have a much more convenient time checking their balance or transferring cash into savings "Goals." The latest beta release of the Simple app now supports the Android 10 biometrics API, signing you in with just a glance and a tap — almost as convenient as your fingerprint.
Samsung may have removed the iris scanner from its recent flagship devices like the Galaxy S10 and Note10, but it hasn't forgotten about it on earlier hardware. According to some Galaxy S9 and Note9 users in the Android 10 One UI 2.0 beta program, the company has updated the iris scanner in those phones to be compatible with Google's new Biometric API, a one-stop-shop for in-app user authentication.
Migrating password managers can be frustrating — trying to decide which websites you actually use, then moving those usernames and passwords one by one to a new app is a huge chore. When your preferred service hasn't implemented support for new features, you'll probably opt to stick with that app and wait it out rather than go through the pain of switching. If you've been hoping for RoboForm to add face unlock support, your wait is finally over — an update has just rolled out to enable biometrics on Android.
The Google Pixel 4 comes with a brand-new face unlock mechanism that relies on a revised API, meaning that apps that support fingerprint authentication won't automatically work with your face, too. A few companies already reacted and updated their apps with the new biometrics API, and following the latest release of its mobile banking application, we can now count Bank of America and Barclays US in on these.
The Pixel 4 is the first Android phone to feature a proper secure face unlock mechanism that can't be easily fooled by pictures or similar looking people. To enable authentication in banking apps or password managers, this technology requires Android 10's new biometrics API. Since it's different from the previous fingerprint API, there are only a handful of applications that already support it. A new Xposed module provides a workaround for unsupported apps that aren't yet compatible with the Pixel 4's face unlock. The only caveat: it requires root access.