![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/google-pixel-9-unlocked-by-face-prompt-scaled.jpeg\"\/ "\\"google")
<\/p>\nTL;DR<\/p>\n
Google is developing a new advanced face unlock system called \u201cProject Toscana\u201d for Pixel phones and Chromebooks.
\nToscana is designed to perform better in challenging lighting conditions than Google\u2019s current face unlock feature on Pixels.
\nThis aligns with previous reporting that Google is developing IR face unlock for the Pixel 11 series.<\/p>\n
Since Apple introduced Face ID on the iPhone X in 2017, no company has managed to crack the code for face unlock on Android phones. We\u2019ve seen attempts here and there, but nothing that\u2019s caught on for mainstream devices. However, that may soon change, thanks to none other than Google itself.<\/p>\n
According to an anonymous source, Android Authority has learned that Google is developing \u201cProject Toscana\u201d \u2014 the company\u2019s latest attempt at advanced facial recognition for not just Android phones, but Chromebooks, too.<\/p>\n
Per our source, Google recently tested Project Toscana with UX testers in Mountain View, CA. Our source used Project Toscana on a Pixel phone with a single hole-punch camera cutout and on two Chromebooks with external cameras (of which the circuitry and motherboard were exposed, so not the final design).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
Importantly, the tests were conducted under various lightning conditions, and according to our source, Project Toscana worked just as quickly as Face ID on the iPhone. It\u2019s unclear what technology Google is using for Project Toscana (likely IR, though unconfirmed), but it\u2019s clearly a more advanced approach compared to the current face unlock feature on Pixel phones today<\/a>.<\/p>\n As you might recall, this isn\u2019t the first time Google has dabbled with face unlock technology. The Pixel 4 series used a combination of radar sensors and IR cameras for 3D facial recognition, and while it worked well, Google abandoned the tech a year later.<\/p>\n According to our source, Project Toscana worked just as quickly as Face ID on the iPhone.<\/p>\n A basic face unlock was reintroduced in the Pixel 7 series, using just the front-facing camera, but it only unlocked the lock screen and nothing more. Using improved machine learning, the Pixel 8, 9, and 10 series featured an upgraded face unlock that can also be used for Google Pay, banking apps, and other secure app logins. It\u2019s great in properly-lit environments, but as anyone who\u2019s used those phones knows, it\u2019s practically useless once the lights go down.<\/p>\n Based on what we know about Project Toscana, this new face unlock system should provide the best of both worlds \u2013 accurate face unlock in any lightning condition without any extra visible hardware or screen cutouts other than \u2014 at most \u2014 a single front-facing camera.<\/p>\n Rita El Khoury \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n In October 2024, Android Authority reported that Google was considering an under-display IR camera for the Pixel 11 series<\/a> to enable a more secure and reliable face unlock. It\u2019s unclear whether Project Toscana will be hidden under the display in its final form, or whether Google has abandoned its under-display ambitions in favor of a more traditional hole-punch, as our source saw. However, what\u2019s important is that this isn\u2019t the first time we\u2019ve heard reports of Google upgrading its face unlock tech.<\/p>\n Given our previous reporting and that Google is testing working versions of Project Toscana, it\u2019s very likely we could see this new face unlock ship in the Pixel 11 later this August. It\u2019s harder to pin down the release timing for Project Toscana on a Chromebook (and whether that Chromebook would be made by Google or another company), but sometime in 2026 seems like a safe bet.<\/p>\n Google hasn\u2019t publicly talked about Project Toscana yet, but with Google I\/O just a few months away \u2014 and given Google\u2019s history of using the I\/O keynote to showcase hardware projects like this \u2014 it might not be too long before we all get a glimpse at what the company is cooking up.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/p>\n![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/google-pixel-7a-face-unlock-1-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"google")
<\/p>\n
![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766572210_733_google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png\"\/ "\\"google"){kind=icon}
![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766572211_278_google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png\"\/ "\\"google"){kind=icon}
<\/a><\/p>\n