- The toggle to enable the Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock feature is missing from Android 16 Beta 4, but it’s still possible to enable it via a hidden command.
- Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock allows Pixel phones to use fingerprint unlock even when their screens are off.
- The feature was first introduced in Android 16 DP2 for the Pixel 9 series but later expanded to all Pixel phones in Android 16 Beta 3.
Every Tensor-powered Pixel phone, with the exception of the two foldables, has a fingerprint scanner underneath the display. Until recently, the Pixel’s under-display fingerprint scanner only functioned when the screen was on. Google finally addressed that limitation with a new feature called Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock in a previous Android 16 beta. Or so we thought. Google has mysteriously removed the feature’s toggle in the latest beta, suggesting the company won’t launch it in the upcoming stable release. Despite the missing toggle, the Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock feature is still working for those who previously enabled it. Furthermore, we discovered a way to enable it for users who didn’t get a chance to turn it on previously.
The Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock feature lets Pixel phones use fingerprint unlock even when their screens are off. In other words, the feature makes the fingerprint scanner always active, so all you have to do to unlock your phone when the screen is off is press your finger on the scanner area. Previously, the only way to keep the fingerprint scanner active at all times was to enable the always-on display, which keeps the display (and thus the fingerprint scanner) always powered on.