Honor 7X Said to Get Face Unlock, AR Lens Features via Software Update

Huawei brand Honor's mid-range smartphone, Honor 7X, is said to be receiving a software update that brings with it the highly anticipated Face Unlock feature. This feature is finally available after Honor had promised it a few weeks back. The software update also includes other modifications such as the addition of AR Lens to the selfie camera, optimisations for the Weather App, and arrival of Google's January Android security patch. The update is rolling out for Chinese units.

According to a report by AndroidSoul, the latest update for Honor 7X (Review) is rolling out with build number B192. AndroidSoul claims that the update is currently available for the Chinese variant of the phone that sports model number AL10. We have gotten in touch with Honor to confirm the rollout for Indian units, and will update the story accordingly. Alternatively, you can check for the update by going into the Settings app. The Honor 7X is sold with under several model numbers globally, including L21, L22, and L24.

While the update does not bring a major overhaul to the software, it does contain several useful features such as Face Unlock and AR Lens. Face Unlock, introduced with the Honor View 10, is a biometric authentication tool that unlocks the Honor 7X by identifying your face through the selfie camera. It is in addition to the fingerprint sensor located on the back of the phone. It can be activated by going into Settings > Security and Privacy > Face Unlock.

The Honor 7X gets an AR Lens in the front selfie camera. The feature allows users to add effects and modify backgrounds while taking selfies. It can be managed by going into Camera > Modes > AR Lens.

Apart from these two features, the Honor 7X adds a new smart feature for lock screen notifications that gives users the ability to hide the content shown in notifications. This can be managed by going into Settings > Security and Privacy > Face Unlock > Smart lock screen notifications.

The update also brings certain optimisations to the stock Weather app to improve accuracy of city names.

Launched in India in December 2017, the Honor 7X sports a 5.93-inch full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels) IPS display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone is powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 659 SoC, coupled with 4GB of RAM and 32GB/ 64GB of inbuilt storage. There is a 3340mAh battery under the hood.