Google tests Project Toscana face unlock system that could rival Apple’s Face ID

There is a great divide in biometrics deployment between Android and iOS devices. The biometrics battleground in the smartphone race is an intense arena considering the popularity of the category, even if tech analysts think biometrics providers could step up their marketing.

As the developer of Android, Google could be taking it to Apple’s Face ID in a new development. Android Authority reports Google is working on a face biometric unlock system called “Project Toscana.” 

iPhone users have been getting their face biometrics scanned via Face ID since its introduction in 2017 with the iPhone X. Meanwhile, Android users have been using their fingers to biometrically unlock their phones. Face unlock for Android could be coming. 

According to an unnamed source cited by Android Authority, Google trialled Project Toscana on a Pixel phone with a single hole-punch camera, with UX testers in its Mountain View offices in California. Not only that, the face biometric system has been tested on Chromebooks as well, using external cameras. 

Various lighting conditions were tested and Google’s system worked just as rapidly as Apple’s Face ID, according to the publication. It is unknown what technology Project Toscana is using. But Apple’s history might offer clues. Apple acquired Israeli start-up PrimeSense in 2013 for $360 million, with the “light coding” technology by Prime Sense a harbinger for Face ID. 

The light coding tech enabled depth acquisition, coding scenes with near-IR light. This was paired with an off-the-shelf CMOS image sensor to read the coded light from which algorithms could extract 3D data. One of the founders of PrimeSense recently sold a new start-up to Apple, Q.AI, which specializes in facial expression detection. 

This is not the first time Google has implemented face biometrics with the Pixel 4 leveraging radar sensors and IR cameras for its face unlock. Google did not stick long with the technology, as it was absent until the Pixel 7 where the front-facing camera was used to unlock the lock screen. But face unlock didn’t extend further than the lock screen. 

From the Pixel 8 onwards, face unlock has had wider deployment as it can be used for Google Play, banking apps and secure app logins. However, in dim lighting conditions the system is not very competent. 

Back in October 2024, Android Authority revealed that Google was exploring the use of an under-display infrared camera for the Pixel 11 lineup, aiming to deliver a more secure and dependable face unlock system. What remains uncertain is whether Project Toscana will ultimately debut beneath the screen or if Google has opted instead for a conventional hole‑punch design, as one source suggested.

Android Authority believes it’s “very likely” that Project Toscana’s face unlock could ship in the Pixel 11 later this year. In a few months Google’s I/O event may well be the forum where the new system is showcased given the company’s previous use of such keynotes.

Article Topics

access control  |  biometrics  |  face biometrics  |  Face ID  |  Google  |  smartphones