Google is responsible for maintaining Android as well as making new Pixel phones, so it’s sometimes hard to see when a new Android feature also means a new Pixel feature. Just because Android adds support for new hardware does not always mean that a future Pixel phone will ship that hardware with it, but that does not mean it never happens. The return of wireless charging on Pixel phones and the existence of a Google wireless charging bank, for example, first leaked through Android code. Now we’ve spotted evidence in Android 12 suggesting that a future Pixel device could finally add a fingerprint scanner below display.
Earlier today, Google released the second developer preview of Android 12. Within the code, developer kdrag0n noticed several new classes in the SystemUIGoogle app. One of these classes is called ‘UdfpsControllerGoogle’, where ‘Udfps’ refers to ‘fingerprint scanner displayed below.’
Now, the SystemUIGoogle app from the first Android 12 developer preview also added several classes related to fingerprint readers that are not displayed, but we did not think about it at the time, because there was no evidence that the code was not just for generic Udfps support in AOSP, the open source version of Android . Many personal ROM developers will tell you that the lack of support of the fingerprint scanner under AOSP caused a lot of headaches, so it was time for Google to add proper support. However, these new Udfps classes are part of the com.google.android.systemui path rather than com.android.systemui, which indicates that these classes are being developed for Pixel phones rather than AOSP. There is no definitive proof that a future Pixel phone will have a fingerprint scanner under display, but based on our experience learning more about new Pixel features this way, we feel confident to use it as a possibility to increase.
While Google would be too late to use a fingerprint scanner that is not displayed in a Pixel phone, the timing makes sense. Optical fingerprint scanners that are not displayed have been around for years, but the quality of these modules has greatly increased since the first launch. They are still not as secure as physical capacitive fingerprint scanners or hardware-based face verification, but they provide a tighter design compared to the former and cost much less compared to the latter. The biggest question we have is: if Google puts a fingerprint scanner under the screen in a future Pixel phone, is it an optical or ultrasonic sensor?
Finally, Google has also set out to introduce a new “swipe for notifications” gesture in Android 12, which is a replacement for the old “swipe fingerprint for notifications” gesture on Pixel phones with a fingerprint scanner. Since fingerprint scanners below screen cannot be used for fingerprint gestures, the new “swipe for notifications” gesture will be a great addition to the new fingerprint hardware.
Thanks to PNF Software for giving us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a reverse engineering tool for professional quality professional applications.
Featured Image: The OnePlus 7T Pro Optical Fingerprint Scanner.