Unlock Your Phone in the Dark: Android 16 Beta Brings Screen-Off Fingerprint Unlock to More Pixels

Android 16 Beta Expands Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock to More Pixel Devices

In the latest release of Android 16 Beta 3 and Beta 3.1, Google has expanded a feature previously limited to the Pixel 9, allowing all devices from the Pixel 6 and newer to use fingerprint unlock while the screen is off. This new option, titled 'Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock,' can be found in Settings > Security & privacy > Device unlock > Face & Fingerprint Unlock > Fingerprint Unlock.

The primary benefit of this feature is that it allows for a darkened screen during unlocking, which is particularly useful at night to avoid being dazzled by the fingerprint scanner's LEDs. The Pixel 9 uses an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, while devices from the Pixel 6 through the Pixel 8 (and the upcoming Pixel 9a) use an optical scanner. Despite this difference, the feature is reportedly working on devices like the Pixel 6a and Pixel 7 Pro, though it's unclear how it achieves this without illuminating the finger.

A demo of the feature in action on a Pixel 9 Pro device during early Android 16 Developer Previews has been shared. Additional updates in Android 16 Beta 3 include performance improvements and crash fixes for Pixel devices.