I fear for my power button...

[N4Newbie]

Sure, I'll keep my 4XL, but I'm still not happy about the loss of the fingerprint sensor.

One thing that springs to mind (as has been stated by many) is the constant unintended unlocking that occurs throughout the day as I pickup the phone to view lockscreen notifications, or even just to put it into my pocket. Nearly every time this happens (such as when I just want to move the phone from my desk or table back to my pocket), I have no choice but to use the power button to turn it back off. I would estimate that I am using the power button up to 5-10 times as often as I did on my Pixel 3XL; this can't possibly be good.

And, please, please, do not tell me to face unlock to the lock screen because, no, I refuse to endure the extra swipe when it really is my intent to unlock the phone.

 

[Lepa79]

Don't have a pixel 4 yet but wouldn't turning off motion sensor fix that issue? I don't see a use for that thing. It's going off the moment I get a pixel 4.

 

[henryfool3]

that's where a double tap of the screen to turn off would come in handy. like Nova allows.

 

[bhatech]

If you are that worried about the power button (which you shouldn't), then why can't you put in your pocket without pressing the power button. It should automatically lock after the screen timeout right? The default screen timeout is 30 second and I'll automatically lock after that. I tested just now and it locks the screen after 30 sec of inactivity.

Personally I lock my phone immediately using power button on all my phones so my usage of power button is the same as other and never ever have worried about the power button durability. But if you are worried about that then may be just put in your pocket and have itself lock after the screen timeout.

 

[Base_UK]

I've turned off the wake on lift and wake by proximity and only have tap to wake on, partly so it doesn't unlock whenever I get near it and partly for battery life (it was waking up in my pocket and draining the battery).

I'd like to have both methods switched back on whilst I'm at home only but couldn't do it with iftt.

 

[Morty2264]

that's where a double tap of the screen to turn off would come in handy. like Nova allows.

That would really be convenient.

 

[Lefank]

I use the screen off and lock app, I put a button widget on my home screen and it works flawlessly.

 

[SuperLeakTX]

and face recognition does not work with baning apps

 

[Almeuit]

and face recognition does not work with baning apps

That is on the developer .. not face unlock.

 

[N4Newbie]

I use the screen off and lock app, I put a button widget on my home screen and it works flawlessly.

Just out of curiosity - I see several apps in the Play Store titles "Screen Off and Lock". Which one are you using?

 

[Lefank]

This one

 

[Morty2264]

This one

Great app! Thank you for sharing!

 

[strikeIII]

I use my power button all the time no matter what device it is. Face unlock doesn't make it any more or any less than usual.

 

[N4Newbie]

I use my power button all the time no matter what device it is. Face unlock doesn't make it any more or any less than usual.

With the fingerprint sensor on previous Pixels, my phone unlocked only when I intended it to do so. With Face Unlock, I find it is often unlocking unintentionally, thus I need to turn it off more often than in the past.

 

[strikeIII]

With the fingerprint sensor on previous Pixels, my phone unlocked only when I intended it to do so. With Face Unlock, I find it is often unlocking unintentionally, thus I need to turn it off more often than in the past.

When does it unlock unintentionally? If you're lifting your phone to actually look at it don't you want it to unlock or at least unlock to the lock screen to see your notifications? I haven't came across a scenario where it just unlocks when I never wanted to look at my device in the first place. Well, maybe when it's on a tilted charging dock but that doesn't happen often.

 

[Morty2264]

With the fingerprint sensor on previous Pixels, my phone unlocked only when I intended it to do so. With Face Unlock, I find it is often unlocking unintentionally, thus I need to turn it off more often than in the past.

I definitely know what you are saying. I feared the same if I got a Pixel 4.

 

[N4Newbie]

When does it unlock unintentionally? If you're lifting your phone to actually look at it don't you want it to unlock or at least unlock to the lock screen to see your notifications? I haven't came across a scenario where it just unlocks when I never wanted to look at my device in the first place. Well, maybe when it's on a tilted charging dock but that doesn't happen often.

I have notifications on my lock screen. If I pick up the phone to view them, or take it out of my pocket to view them, it inevitably unlocks. If I take the phone out of my pocket to see what time it is, it unlocks. If I pick the phone up from my desk to put it into my pocket, 5 times out of 10 it unintentionally unlocks.

And so on...

 

[strikeIII]

I have notifications on my lock screen. If I pick up the phone to view them, or take it out of my pocket to view them, it inevitably unlocks. If I take the phone out of my pocket to see what time it is, it unlocks. If I pick the phone up from my desk to put it into my pocket, 5 times out of 10 it unintentionally unlocks.

And so on...

Most of those scenarios will cause the screen to wake up in the first place so you'll need to use the power button to turn it off anyway and I guess if you don't want to use the setting to keep it on the lock screen then it's something you'll have to get used to. But I don't think you have anything to worry about with the power button going bad.

 

[LeoRex]

And, please, please, do not tell me to face unlock to the lock screen because, no, I refuse to endure the extra swipe when it really is my intent to unlock the phone.

Why not? It's the most appropriate alternative. Extra swipe vs hitting power. I've tried both methods and the swipe to drop out of an unlocked lock screen is a quick little flip, barely more than a tap. But then again, the phone unlocking seemingly the instant I look at it is extremely easy to get used to.

The heart of the matter here is that it's a change in behavior... And one that is done so often that it becomes second nature. For me, the FPS has been there on the back since I got my 6p. And I'm still figuring out how to become accustomed to the new behavior.... Fully in or just unlock... There are pro and cons to both. But it still requires me to relearn after using a particular behavior several times a day for 5 years.

Both either way, it's change. People don't do change all that easy sometimes and the frustration of having to adjust never gets easier.

My best advice? Forget how phones worked before, stop worrying about how things used to be, and figure out what config choice best meets your needs. Otherwise you are screaming into the wind. Google isn't going to push a rear mounted FPS via an OTA and the industry is moving away from fingerprint authentication. It is what it is. There was a time when I thought face unlock was a dumb idea, but (API adoption notwithstanding) Google's implementation is pretty damn good. And I'm finding myself pining away for the little button on the back less and less every day.

 

[Mike Dee]

I have notifications on my lock screen. If I pick up the phone to view them, or take it out of my pocket to view them, it inevitably unlocks. If I take the phone out of my pocket to see what time it is, it unlocks. If I pick the phone up from my desk to put it into my pocket, 5 times out of 10 it unintentionally unlocks.

And so on...

I'm not sure what you expected prior to purchase but that's just how face unlock works. It's not unintentionally unlocking.

I have a Note 10+ with FPS on the front. I still use face unlock and smart unlock for on body detection even though I don't have to so I don't have to constantly unlock my phone via FPS. I like my privacy as much as the next person but my convenience takes priority.