Android: New Android 12 beta feature lets you control your phone with your face, here’s how – morningtidings

The latest Android 12 beta comes with a feature that allows you to control your phone with the help of facial gestures, as per a report by XDA Developers. Version 12.0.0 of the Android 12 Accessibility Suite that comes as a part of the Android 12 beta 4 has a “Camera Switches” feature that can be used to make the front camera of your smartphone recognise and record your facial expressions. These recorded gestures can then be used to trigger various actions on your phone. For example, the gesture of opening your mouth once (and back to resting face) when looking at the front camera can bring up the notifications panel. Or raising your eyebrows can be used to trigger a return to the home screen.
For now, the actions that can be triggered with the help of a facial gesture include scrolling forward/backwards, touch & hold, accessing notifications, navigating to the home screen, selecting etc. The list of facial gestures includes a smile (you’ll have to smile once and then go back to keeping the regular facial expressions), looking left once and then back to resting face, looking right once and then back to resting face and in a similar way, looking up once, looking down once, etc.
It’s like a secret command your phone is programmed to understand, without you having to type it in or use a certain key combination. From the camera settings to record your face to unlock the phone or detect the type of scene in focus and adjust the settings for the perfect shot in the available lighting, the AI has come to the foreground now.
The feature can be found under the Switch Access tools for those who have version 12.0.0 of the Android 12 Accessibility Suite. The size and the duration of the facial gesture can also be customised.
Google claims that it won’t store the data of your face and the various facial expressions you use to trigger the smartphone’s actions. It also warns users that the use of the Camera Switches tool can cause a severe drain on the battery so the users are better prepared for that.