The Smart Lock feature that came with the Android 5.0 update allowed users to unlock their phone by pairing it with a Trusted Device using Bluetooth. It allowed you to use a Trusted Face using your phones front-facing camera. Now, the Android 5.1 update along with the update to Google Play Services 7.0 will allow you to use a Trusted Voice to unlock your handset. This feature could be available for Nexus users by the end of this week.
The feature uses the same process used to train your phone to accept the "O.K. Google" command. Google warns you that this is not as secure as using a PIN or a password because someone with a recording of your voice can fool the lock as could someone with a similar sounding voice. You are asked to come up with a PIN just in case you are ill and you don't sound like yourself.
Besides Trusted Devices and Trusted Faces, the Smart Lock feature also includes Trusted Places which unlocks your phone when you are at a certain location. On-body detection keeps the phone unlocked in your pocket, but locks it on a desk or table. Soon, Trusted Voice will be added to the equation. If you own a Nexus device, start prepping your voice, because this will soon be available for your stock Android device.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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