Traces of a new lighting feature that could make Pixel face unlock easier to use in the dark have been found in development code. On October 6 (U.S. time), Android Authority reported that it had analyzed Android 17 QPR3 Beta 1 and found code and a settings screen related to "Face Active Illumination."
Pixel face unlock can be used not only to unlock the device, but also to sign in to supported apps and verify your identity for payments. In dim surroundings, however, it may fail to recognize your face well enough to work.
The newly discovered feature appears aimed at compensating for that weakness with added light. But it is still unknown which light source it would use, or which Pixel models would support it. A method that brightens the screen to illuminate the face and one that uses infrared light differ greatly in the facial information they can capture and in how they feel to use.
What the code shows: brightness levels and usage conditions
Android Authority found an item for adjusting the brightness of the illumination, along with settings related to whether to allow its use during bedtime hours and while driving.
There is also a name that suggests use during Do Not Disturb mode, so the feature may let users control not only how strongly the face is lit, but also in which situations the lighting is used. This comes from the outlet's own analysis.
However, the settings screen it was able to display was unfinished.
The code also contains an item that appears to relate to a "dark" state, but it is unclear whether this refers to the ambient light level or to Android's dark mode.
Nor has anyone shown test results demonstrating that the lighting actually works and enables successful face authentication in the dark.
The Android 17 QPR3 Beta 1 that was analyzed was released on October 2.
QPR refers to quarterly platform releases. Google publishes beta versions ahead of the official release so developers can check how things work.
Still, even if traces of a feature appear in beta code, it will not necessarily ship in the final version of the same QPR. This discovery should not be taken as an announcement that the feature is coming.
Even Class 3 face authentication may not work in the dark
When Google announced the Pixel 8 in 2023, it explained that advances in machine learning allowed its face unlock to meet Android's strongest biometric class, making it usable for signing in to banking apps and for Google Wallet.
That expanded its role from simply unlocking the device by facing it to verifying identity in supported apps.
Class 3, the top tier in Android's biometric classes, evaluates things such as how securely authentication data is handled and the risk of wrongly accepting another person or a spoof as the owner.
Integration with apps is permitted according to that level of security.
But being Class 3 does not imply that a device has an infrared sensor, nor that authentication will always succeed in complete darkness.
Google's face unlock help page also states that face unlock may not work in the dark.
In other words, even with a secure mechanism for judging whether someone is the owner, authentication cannot succeed if the device cannot capture enough facial information for that judgment.
Biometric security and ease of use in the dark are separate issues.
The new lighting feature appears to target this capture-condition problem.
By increasing the light that reaches the face, it may be possible to authenticate in more dark situations without loosening the standard for deciding that someone is the owner.
However, it has not been disclosed what kind of judgment the new feature would actually perform or how effective it would be. There is also no information indicating that the security of face authentication itself has changed.
Screen brightening versus Face ID: different facial information
Samsung's official help describes a Galaxy setting that temporarily raises screen brightness to make faces easier to recognize in dark places.
Available settings vary by model and software, but there is already precedent for using the display as a light source.
Apple's explanation of Face ID, meanwhile, says the TrueDepth camera projects many invisible dots onto the face and analyzes their arrangement to create a depth map showing the face's depth.
It also captures an infrared image and matches both against the enrolled face data. Apple says this system allows Face ID to work even in complete darkness.
A method that brightens the screen to make a face easier to photograph and Face ID, which uses infrared light to obtain depth information and images, differ both in how they use light and in what they capture.
The table below organizes the explanations as of October 7, 2026, by light source, information obtained and role in the dark.
| Method / development status | How light is used | Facial information obtained and role in the dark |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy's existing screen assist | Temporarily brightens the screen | Makes the face easier to recognize in the dark. Samsung does not say this setting adds a mechanism for obtaining depth information |
| Pixel's new feature, if it is screen lighting | May light the face with screen light | May make the face easier to capture. The light source and actual processing are unconfirmed |
| Face ID's TrueDepth | Projects invisible dots and captures an infrared image | Uses a depth map and infrared image for matching. Apple says it works even in complete darkness |
The table organizes official explanations from Samsung and Apple and Android Authority's analysis to show how the mechanisms differ.
It is not a comparison of authentication success rate or speed under identical conditions, nor does it mean that Galaxy and Pixel are equal in biometric security.
A method that uses the screen as a light source can add light for photographing the face using the existing display.
But simply brightening the screen does not let a device capture facial depth or infrared images the way Face ID does.
Even if usability in the dark improves, how dark a setting it can handle, and how much it is affected by face angle and distance, will need to be checked after implementation.
Based on the settings it found, Android Authority considers the screen-brightening approach the more likely one. It does not claim to have identified the actual light source.
A relationship between this feature and "Project Toscana," a face authentication development plan reported earlier, has also not been confirmed.
The code does not allow the conclusion that dedicated infrared hardware has been decided for Pixel.
Glare at night and the conditions for using the light
If users can set whether the lighting is used during bedtime hours or Do Not Disturb, it could open up new ways of using face unlock at night.
For example, if you want to check your phone briefly in a dark bedroom and the screen flashes brightly to help face unlock, it could exceed the brightness you want by a wide margin.
Making the face easier to recognize is not necessarily the only priority.
If it is a screen-lighting method, settings that adjust the brightness and conditions of use would help reduce such inconveniences.
People who want to use face unlock at night might allow the lighting, while those who want to avoid glare could use fingerprint authentication instead.
But specifics, such as whether the lighting is automatically dimmed during bedtime hours or enabled by default, cannot be determined from names in the code alone.
Existing Pixel face unlock already has settings that require you to look directly at the screen and ones that ask for extra confirmation when approving app sign-ins or payments.
The conditions for using light to help recognize a face should be considered separately from those requiring the user to look at the screen and approve an action.
Shining light to make a face easier to recognize is no substitute for confirming the user's intent.
Google currently advises using fingerprint authentication alongside face unlock in case it does not work well in the dark.
Even if the new lighting feature arrives, how smoothly users can switch to another method such as a fingerprint, in situations where they do not want to use the light or the face is not recognized, will affect everyday usability.
Supported models and real-world behavior are the next things to check
A method that uses the existing display as the light source may be easier to deliver through a software update than one that adds a dedicated light source.
Still, that alone is no reason to assume all models, including past Pixels, will support it.
Which generations of face authentication systems it can be combined with, and which uses it would cover, will remain unknown until Google presents official specifications.
One point worth checking is whether the lighting would be used not only to unlock the lock screen but also to verify identity in supported apps.
Considering the uses of face unlock on Pixel 8 and later described in Google's help, if the low-light improvement applied to app authentication as well, it could reduce the hassle of switching to another method when trying to sign in at night.
However, this analysis did not reveal that scope of application.
To judge its practicality, it will be necessary to check not only whether authentication actually succeeds in the dark but also how long it takes.
How bright the screen becomes and for how many seconds it stays lit will also greatly affect usability in places such as bedrooms.
If the behavior with the lighting turned off can be checked as well, it will become clearer whether this is an improvement that raises the convenience of face unlock while preserving the screen brightness you want at night.