Joe Maring/Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google’s advanced IR face unlock, known as “Project Toscana”, may not debut on the Pixel 11 series in 2026 as previously leaked.
- A new leak suggests that the feature, which aims to rival the speed of Apple’s Face ID, isn’t ready for release just yet.
- While internal UX testing on phones and Chromebooks has been successful, Google has not yet officially acknowledged the project.
In 2024, we reported on Google considering adding IR face unlock to the Pixel 11 series. In February this year, we reported that the advanced face unlock system, dubbed “Project Toscana,” was tested with UX testers on Pixel phones and Chromebooks, and that it worked just as fast as Face ID on iPhones. We haven’t heard of any changes to the previously reported timeline for the release of IR Face Unlock, but a new leak suggests that the feature may not debut on the Pixel 11 series this year.
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According to Mystic Leaks on Telegram, Project Toscana “likely will not debut” on the Pixel 11 series to be released in 2026. The reason for this is that this feature is not ready for release yet.
Keep in mind that Google hasn’t officially discussed Project Toscana/IR Face Unlock, so the feature’s release could be in 2026 either way. Google I/O is just a few weeks away, and the company usually uses it to show off some of its projects, so we’re paying attention to some of the little things, even if the feature still takes some time to be ready.
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