Biometric security — the ability to unlock your phone with your fingerprint or face — is an amazing feature, but you often have to turn on the phone’s screen before you can use it. That’s because many fingerprint sensors are optical and need light in order to work. Fortunately, Android 16 will make it so that you can open your Pixel 9 without turning your phone screen on at all (while also avoiding the groan that comes from searing your eyes.)
The feature was noted in the Android 16 Developer Preview 2, or DP2, by 9to5Google. The findings imply that this only applies to the Google Pixel 9 series because while it does appear in the Settings search on the Pixel 8 Pro, there’s no option to enable it. This is likely due to the Pixel 9’s ultrasonic fingerprint scanner; the improved hardware doesn’t require light to use it.
If you’re part of the Android 16 DP2, you can enable this feature by going to Settings > Security & privacy > Device unlock > Face & Fingerprint Unlock > Fingerprint Unlock. Just note that if you aren’t part of the developer preview, you won’t find this option.
If you’re using an older Pixel device, you can enable the always-on display to achieve a similar result. As long as the time is being shown, even if that is the only thing being shown, the optical sensors are still active and working. It helps avoid the equivalent of a flashbang grenade being thrown into your bedroom in the early mornings when you turn on your phone. This new feature will be beneficial to folks who do not want to use the always-on display setting, but still want quick access to the fingerprint sensor.
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Android 16 DP2 also introduced a few more changes, but most were relatively minor. While it isn’t a make-or-break option for most users, the ability to unlock your phone with your finger without turning on the screen is a big win for convenience.
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