While it’s probably more convenient for users to unlock their smartphones using voice commands, it’s probably not that secure, as we’ve seen in countless movies and TV shows and in real life as well. Google may have finally realized that as it seems to be phasing out the “Unlock with Voice Match” feature and replacing it soon with the “Lock screen personal results.” This is what they’ve done with the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL and this may be the future of all Android devices soon after.
If you’re just new to Android or you didn’t know it yet, you could tell Google Assistant to do stuff for you even when your phone is locked. If it requires further action, it recognizes your voice as your authentication so you don’t need to unlock it anymore. While it’s of course easier, it is less secure as someone can use a similar voice or even a recording of your voice to unlock your device if ever it falls into the hands of nefarious elements. In fact, Google warns you about it before you enable it.
With the newly-released Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, Google actually replaced it with the “Lock screen personal results” feature. This means you could still use Voice Match to show you your mail, calendar, and contacts by giving a command to your Assistant. But if further action is needed, you will need to unlock the device with your password or your fingerprint. The Google Assistant will show a lock icon at the top if your phone is locked and so you are reminded that you’ll have to take that extra step to do further actions.
In the APK Insight for Google app version 8.39, it shows that the lock screen personal results will be the “more secure way” of accessing your Assistant and securing your phone. It is not yet enabled in the app update though, so don’t get disappointed if it’s not yet there even if you download the APK.
Obviously, this is good news for those paranoid about having someone access their phones through voice commands. Hopefully, Google will roll this out soon through a new version or a server-side update.
VIA: 9 to 5 Google
