Google Pixel 8 Pro user claims brother can 'face unlock' phone. No, they're not twins.

Let's hope your doppelganger doesn't find your Pixel 8 Pro.
 By 
Alex Perry
 on 
Google Pixel 8 phones
It's just one example, but still. Credit: Ed JONES / AFP) (Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images

Google Pixel 8's face unlock may have an odd security vulnerability, according to Reddit.

A user with the moniker MotorTransportation8 (h/t Android Authority) claimed that their brother was able to access their Pixel 8 Pro via face unlock with a 100 percent success rate. It's a pithy post that doesn't share any photos or videos for added context, but the poster insists that they both look "very different" and that it shouldn't have happened.

Of course, this is one unverified post on Reddit, so it should be taken with a grain of salt. Someone in the comments even mentioned running into a similar problem with an iPhone, so this may not even be a Google-specific concern. However, this alleged security flaw is noteworthy because Google specifically promised an upgraded face unlock when it announced the Pixel 8 phones earlier this month.


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"Face Unlock on Pixel 8 now meets the strongest Android biometric class and can be used for banking app sign-in and payment apps like Google Wallet," Google's announcement blog post said.

So, if you have a Pixel 8 device, and you spend time near people with similar facial features, try using a different form of authentication.

Topics Google

journalist alex perry looking at a smartphone
Alex Perry
Tech Reporter

Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.

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