It’s been a rough ride for the Google Pixel 4 since it launched back in October. The device has been critiqued by Android fans for dialling down its refresh rate from a smooth 90Hz to a standard 60Hz too often and its face unlocking has also been controversial for working even if a user’s eyes are closed. Plus, it’s also been very hit or miss with Android security updates from Google – Express.co.uk’s unit never received the November 2019 patch for instance.
The Pixel 4 controversy doesn’t end there though. Some users are reporting the device’s face unlocking has stopped working completely and – in some cases – is completely irredeemable.
Although the issue only seems to be affecting a small number of Pixel 4’s (Express.co.uk’s unit is still working fine), a number of users have posted online about the bug.
One user said that re-enrolling their face didn’t fix the issue and others have resorted to a factory reset to limited avail.
Discussing the matter, one Pixel 4 owner said: “Yesterday a message came up on my lock screen telling me to re-enroll my face otherwise it may not work. Seemed to work fine a few times after I saw that message but decided to re-enroll.
“After re-enrolling, I keep getting the error message ‘Can’t verify face. Try again’ flashing on the lock screen. Any biometric logins immediately fail. What’s strange is that I’m able to add face data in completely darkness (it knows which way I’m turning my face) and motion sense gestures still work normal. Reboots and safe mode don’t fix anything.”
Another wrote: “I’ve had a Pixel 4 XL since launch and just did a fresh install of the December update. Now my face unlock no longer works.
“I get ‘Can’t verify face. Try again’ every time. I’ve tried deleting face data and setting it up again and numerous reboots. Any ideas?”
Others are reportedly receiving an error message reading “can’t verify face. Hardware not available” when attempting to unlock their device. It’s currently unclear what has caused the issue for the limited amount of Pixel 4 owners.
As noted by Android Police, some owners appeared to complain of the bug following the release of a recent Google security update. Google is yet to comment on the matter.
A limited number of Pixel 4 owners claimed they were able to fix the issue by restarting their device multiple times. That said, there seems to be no sure-fire fix for the problem at the time of writing.
A Pixel 4 user took to Reddit and explained: “After multiple reboots it finally worked. I would recommend downloading hedge camera and double checking the IR camera is definitely working, following this reboot and try again.”
It’s currently unclear when or if Google will release an update for affected Pixel 4 handsets.
Face unlock is arguably the Pixel 4’s best new feature. The authentication system works incredibly well (this new bug aside) and is the only way of gaining access to the device bar using a traditional PIN or pattern passcode.
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