OnePlus has previously confirmed that the Face Unlock feature introduced by the OnePlus 5T will arrive in the regular OnePlus 5 variant. It looks like the company is keeping its promise as the latest OxygenOS beta version has been spotted with the facial recognition software for the OnePlus 5. Specifically, users can now use the camera to unlock their OnePlus 5 devices by pointing it to their faces after tapping the power button.
The Face Unlock update from the beta was first spotted by XDA Developers in the OxygenOS Open Beta 3, which is based on the latest Android 8.0 Oreo version. Although, NDTV noted that the latest beta update might have also introduced a few bugs in the system so that the users cannot fully access the Face Unlock feature. This is understandable as the latest OxygenOS beta is only intended for testing purposes, which means that the developers just want to hear the users' response regarding the additional feature.
Nevetheless, the Face Unlock in the OxygenOS Open Beta 3 is very similar to the OnePlus 5T feature that was presented back in November. To note, this facial recognition technology is what makes the iterative "T" update of OnePlus 5 stand out, although this is the same reason that made the current OnePlus 5 owners upset because the Face Unlock was made exclusive to OnePlus 5T.
While the Face Unlock is considered a must-have feature of the OnePlus 5 users, it is not at par with Apple's latest Face ID system employed in the iPhone X. Some people also argue that the Face Unlock feature does not offer as much security as the fingerprint scanner, thus it cannot be used to authenticate sensitive transactions such as online payments. Although it offers more convenient way to unlock the phone, giving spare time by just looking at the camera.
According to The Verge, OnePlus has announced its plans to bring the Face Unlock feature on older OnePlus handsets. Aside from the OnePlus 5, this biometric system is expected to hit the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T, which were released in 2016. OnePlus executive Carl Pei stated that the company wants to hear the comments of the users before potentially making the Face Unlock permanent in all OnePlus devices.
Aside from the Face Unlock for OnePlus 5, the OxygenOS Open Beta 3 version also includes a security patch and important bug fixes, particularly for the 5G Wi-Fi connectivity issues. The public version of this beta update is expected to become available later this month.
