These days there are more details about the new Nearby Unlock, which Google is currently planning and preparing for Wear OS or for the Pixel Watch. Recently, the feature even appeared in such a way that it looks almost finished. But it’s not usable yet. Nearby Unlock makes it possible to use the watch to unlock the phone.
To do this, you have to bring the devices, which are basically wirelessly connected to each other, close to each other for a moment. The smartphone unlocks itself immediately.
And here’s that animation in context of the settings screen it belongs to. pic.twitter.com/OeQH09KyI7
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) June 20, 2022
Nearby Unlock: Known functionality and new reference to Face Unlock
The new settings screen reveals all the important details. We have translated these for you with the help of DeeL.
- Use your watch to securely unlock your phone after waking it up.
- This can be useful for accessing notifications and your digital assistant, or if your face or fingerprint isn’t recognized.
- Your watch must be unlocked, on your wrist, and close to your phone. After you unlock your watch, it stays unlocked as long as you wear it.
- When your phone is unlocked, you will receive a notification on your watch. To lock your phone again, tap the notification.
As you can see, Google is offering a new all-around package to unlock the smartphone quickly and easily using other hardware. Also interesting here is the renewed mention of Face Unlock, which is still planned for Google Pixel but has not yet been presented or announced.
So far it is unclear whether Nearby Unlock should also come for other devices. We are currently assuming a feature that will be offered exclusively for Google Pixel or the Pixel Watch. Time will tell, the Pixel Watch is coming in the fall.