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Comment by thedougd | Hacker News Reader

I think it's not appreciated enough how much they got right by putting the fingerprint sensor on the back in a natural position to touch and hold the phone. You are correct, it is unlocked usually before the screen is visible.

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This is a key feature for me, and I'm disappointed that the Pixel 6 has gone for the in-display fingerprint sensor instead of the rear-mounted.

There's one thing that's handy about having it on the front, which is that the phone doesn't have to be picked up to unlock it. It's quite nice being able to read a message on my phone without picking it up from my desk.

But on the other hand, it is definitely more comfortable unlocking it from the back while holding it.

Maybe phones should have both!

Would be neat if there was a way to set the phone to stay unlocked for as long as it is stationary.

Pixel devices (at least previous ones) supported the inverse of this, where you could set the phone to remain unlocked until it was left stationary on a table. The theory is that (for some people) the most common reason to lose a phone is leaving it behind laying on a table, and it can safely stay unlocked as long as it's in your pocket.

Pixel has the feature where it can stay unlocked based on gps location (in your house for example), or wifi connection, or bluetooth connection, or if it thinks it is in your pocket. All these reduce the security overall, but it is convenient.

Hmm...I thought that was an option...but nope...longest screen timeout I can set on my Pixel 3 is 30 minutes.

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