Android 13 is coming with a lot of tweaks, some of which are improved security and privacy control, smart home access, Material You pallette, and audio and media enhancements among other sleek feats. However, adding to these already cool features, it has surfaced online that the Google Nearby Unlock feature is to come with Android 13.
The Google Nearby Unlock feature will help you unlock your phone from your smartwatch. We haven’t gotten any announcements from the Big G as regards what the Google Nearby Unlock feature coming to Android 13 will look like, however, taking a careful look at the latest Google Play service update, gives some details on how it will work.
According to Mishaal Rahman, who did the teardown of the new Google Play services update, the Google Nearby Unlock feature is going to help use your smartwatch “securely unlock” your phone after you wake it.
Further description of the Google Nearby Unlock feature
The only way the smartwatch is going to unlock the smartphone is if it’s unlocked, close to your phone, or on your wrist. Sources revealed that when you unlock the watch on your wrist, it stays unlocked while you’re wearing it.
A security tweak worth noticing is that, once the Google Nearby Unlock feature is enabled and your phone is unlocked, a notification is sent to the watch and you can tap on it to instantly relock the phone. Furthermore, a new animation was found within the Google Play services v22.24.13 that illustrates how the watch unlocks the phone.
The Nearby Unlock feature is likened to the Smart Unlock spotted by 9to5google on the Google Play services v22.22 if not the same, so this feature isn’t something new. The upcoming feature isn’t live yet on any of the beta releases but we hope it makes its way to the official consumer launch.
