Unlock with your face

Before using face matching

Keep in mind that:

  • Looking at your phone can unlock it, even when you don't intend to.
  • Your phone can be unlocked by someone who looks a lot like you.
  • Your phone can be unlocked by someone else if it's held up to your face while your eyes are open. Keep your phone in a safe place.

Set up face matching

  1. Make sure you have set a screen lock on the phone.
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. Touch Security > Smart Lock.

    If you don't see Smart Lock, try the following:

    • Update Google Play services. In the Google Search widget on your Home screen, search for ‘Google Play services’, then touch the app to open it.
    • Go to Settings > Security > Trust agents and enable Smart Lock.
  4. Unlock your phone, then touch Trusted face.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions. Make sure you frame your entire face with the outline.

Whenever you turn on or wake the phone, it will search for your face and unlock when it recognises you.

Unlock your phone

  1. Show your face to the lock screen.

    appears when the phone is looking for your face. When it recognises you, it unlocks and displays .

  2. Swipe up.

If it doesn't recognise you, it stays locked and displays one of these icons.

IconHow to unlock
Use your password, PIN or pattern
Use the fingerprint sensor

Turn off face matching

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Touch Security > Smart Lock.
  3. Unlock your phone, then touch Trusted face.
  4. Touch Remove trusted face.

Fix an issue

If you're having trouble getting the phone to recognise your face:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Touch Security > Smart Lock.

  3. Unlock your phone, then touch Trusted face.
  4. Touch Improve face matching.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions.