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Google’s On-Body Detection Android Technology

Key Software ServicesAndroidGoogle’s On-Body Detection Android Technology

Jul

3

Google’s On-Body Detection Android Technology

Android users are beginning to see an option for on-body detection in version 5.0 and up, which lets you unlock your device once, and then have that unlock grant you continued access without having to re-enter your pin, so long as the Smartphone or tablet never leaves your person. Many Android phones already respond to eye movement and the wave of a hand, this isn’t that great of a leap in terms of technological advancement. The goal is to prevent the device from locking while the phone is on your person because user must unlock their phones numerous times a day to use them, but Google may have a solution, unlocking your phone every time you want to use it can be a pain.

The central idea behind With On-Body Detection enabled, owners unlock their phone once and it will then remain unlocked as long it is held or stuffed into a pocket. As soon as the phone is set down, such as on a desk at the office, it automatically relocks. This is helpful when you leave the device somewhere and as soon as it goes out of your body’s proximity it gets locked, even before the sleep and lock time. This is helpful when you leave the device somewhere and as soon as it goes out of your body’s proximity it gets locked, even before the sleep and lock time.

Android already offers a number of other tools for convenient unlocking that are inherently more secure but On-Body detection feature is much useful than other tools . For those, we don’t require any special hardware (they use a device’s camera, Bluetooth radio, GPS, and accelerometer) and can be enabled in any number of combinations based on a user’s preference and comfort level. You could activate Trusted Devices and not On-Body Detection, for instance, or just Trusted Places, or Trusted Places and Trusted Devices and On-Body Detection On-Body Detection is being added to the Smart Lock features found in Android 5.0 or Lollipop. This feature uses device’s accelerometer to detect whether device is still being carried.

If device detects that it’s no longer being held, then device won’t stay unlocked. With Trusted Devices enabled, Android phones can be set to automatically unlock when they are in proximity to another device, such as an Android Wear smart watch. The user needs to pair and connect the devices at least once, and then give the phone permission to unlock when it’s near the watch. Trusted Places relies on predetermined locations, such as your home or office, to unlock the phone. Trusted Faces, a third option, uses your face as the unlocking tool, but it’s not as reliable.

The goal is to prevent the device from locking while the phone is on your person. This feature was first spotted on a Nexus 4 running Android 5.0.1 Lollipop. Although, this feature is not related specifically to the latest Android 5.1, it will only be operational on Android 5.0 or above. Unfortunately the new On-body detection smart lock feature cannot differentiate between different bodies, so when you hand an unlocked Smartphone with the feature enabled to someone it will stay unlocked. Also, if users have trusted devices or Trusted places features enabled alongside, the device may stay unlocked even after it is out of proximity.

On-body Detection feature not available for all android devices’ but running both Android 5.0 and the newer 5.1.For now, there’s no set date on when “on-body detection” will be available for all Android devices. Those who are tired of repeatedly unlocking their device throughout the day are surely excited for this latest step in convenience.