Google patents some lockscreens

If unlocking your phone by looking at it is already old hat, fear not: Google have filed a patent that would allow you to access your phone using your voice. I should make it clear that this doesn’t appear to necessarily mean voice recognition unlocking, but perhaps allowing a user to set their phone to respond to an “Oi, wake up” sort of command.

Either way, I can’t see that particular function catching on as - while certainly novel in the same way Face Unlock is - it’s not the most discrete way of getting into your phone, and would be utterly nightmarish if it were to catch on with those numpties who insist on checking Facebook in the cinema.

But it’s good to know that Google is getting some more tricks up its sleeve to counter the slew of lockscreen-based legal disputes arch-rival Apple has brought upon Android manufacturers like Samsung.

More after the break...

The patent makes mention of other methods of unlocking too, like accessing shortcuts from the lockscreen by dragging said icons to an activation point (or points) to simultaneously unlock the handset and perform a desired secondary action, allowing direct access to an app or contact for example.

Of course this is nothing new to HTC Sense 3+ users. Or MIUI users. Or, to a lesser extent, Ice Cream Sandwich users. And certainly not WidgetLocker or custom ROM users. But nonetheless, given recent courtroom troubles, the more that can be protected in the name of Android, the better, it seems.


Source: Patently Apple