Michael Crider
While this year’s Pixel phones are making headlines, last year’s are getting some attention of their own…but probably not the kind Google would like. Users of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are reporting persistent problems with the phones’ face unlock feature. Android Police is tracking hundreds of users across Reddit, XDA, and Google’s own support forums reporting the issue.
The problems have persisted for some time. A few teething troubles for the Pixel 4 face scanning system weren’t unexpected, as it’s the first Google phone to pack the feature. But apparently the upgrade to Android 11 has exacerbated the issue, with a much larger slice of users reporting the “clean the top of your screen” error message.
Google has claimed that the problem is fixed in recent patches, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for many users. It’s a fairly embarrassing issue for the phone manufacturer, as Apple continues to push forward on face unlock tech while Google’s latest flagship Pixel phone has gone back to a cheaper and more reliable fingerprint scanner.
With Google declaring the problem “addressed” while it clearly persists, there’s no indication of when Pixel 4 owners can expect relief.
Source: Android Police via 9to5Google
