The second developer preview of Android 16 offers a variety of optimizations focused on improving the app creation experience. However, Mishaal Rahman of Android Authority has discovered one new feature that any user will appreciate.
Rahman discovered that Google Pixel 9 series phones can now take advantage of the new “Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock” option in Android 16 developer preview 2. As the name suggests, this allows users to unlock the phone with an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor without first having to boot the phone.
If the preview build is installed, you can find this setting by opening the “Settings” app, then “Security and Privacy,” “Device Unlock,” “Face and Fingerprint Unlock,” and finally “Fingerprint Unlock.” Screen-off You can try this setting by toggling the “Fingerprint Unlock (Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock)” setting to On.
Ultrasonic scanners are already superior to standard optical scanners in terms of reliability and speed, so being able to use them without turning on the screen could save a few seconds each day, depending on how much you use your phone.
However, since this is an optional setting, you can always turn it off if you are likely to unlock your phone unintentionally.
Sadly, even though older Pixel models can download Android 16 DP 2, models released before Pixel 9 do not have the right kind of fingerprint sensor to take advantage of the new feature, and the option does not appear. in the article Rahman Although not explicitly stated, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is also likely excluded because it uses a capacitive fingerprint scanner on the power button rather than a sensor under the display.
Presumably, other phones that use ultrasonic scanners, such as the Samsung Galaxy S24 and older Galaxy S models, will be able to take advantage of this feature once Android 16 becomes widely available.
These phones are also expected to benefit from other Android 16 capabilities such as more diverse haptic feedback, improved support for phones with adaptive display refresh rates, plus the usual upgrades to security and power efficiency.
Googles are also expected to be available.
Google caught the smartphone world off guard by launching the developer preview of Android 16 much earlier than usual. Normally, the final version of a new version of Android comes out between October and December, but according to a tentative release schedule, Android 16 could be ready as early as May. That would fit with the usual timing of Google I/O, the company's big annual software event.
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