We’re probably just a few days from finding out some details about Android 12 as the Developer Preview will be coming out soon. We’re already getting a few leaks here and there and one of the things that is being bandied about is that the upcoming update will have a face-based Auto-Rotate feature. This is for those that have experienced the inconvenience of the current Auto-Rotate system that is part of our smartphones when you’re lying in bed and browsing through your device.
Normally, you will browse your device in portrait mode and then if you’re watching a video or viewing a picture, you will turn your smartphone or tablet on its side so you can get the maximum view. Or if you don’t want your phone automatically switching its orientation when you’re browsing, you can just lock it. But unlocking and rotating and then locking again can be pretty inconvenient.
It becomes more of a problem when you’re lying in bed, on your side, and your phone and head will be both turned to the side. Android Pie made it a little more tolerable with the button to rotate the display when Auto-Rotate is off. But it can still be a tad inconvenient. Good thing now is that 9 to 5 Google shares a rumor that we may soon see an Auto-Rotate feature that will be face-based. It will use the device’s front-facing camera to check which way your head is turned and if anyone is looking at the screen.
This is probably a simplified version of the tech that is used by apps like Snapchat and Google Duo which is mostly about face-shape-recognition. This will most likely be device-based as well as privacy issues will abound. Whatever tech or processing will be used will not be saved on a cloud somewhere where it is prone to hacking or other nefarious activities. As to other details on how the feature will work, we still have to find out.
This face-based Auto-Rotate feature will most likely be a Pixel-exclusive thing when it does roll out. It might be part of the upcoming Android 12 Developer Preview or it might even be part of an upcoming Pixel feature drop
