ChromeOS is getting a hands-free control option

In December, Google announced a ChromeOS feature called Face control, an accessibility tool meant to allow for control of the operating system hands-free, using facial gestures. Now, as spotted by The Verge, Face control is rolling out to more compatible Chromebooks.

Google announced the wider rollout of Face control along with a handful of other education and accessibility updates. The feature works by watching your face with its webcam. Different actions are assigned to different gestures. In a video demonstrating the feature published last year, Google software engineer Amanda Lin Dietz takes Face control through its paces. Judging by the video, Face control lets you move the cursor by turning your head; click with a sort of smirk; and activate voice input by opening your mouth.

Not Google’s first rodeo

Face control isn’t Google’s first attempt at a facial control interface. As The Verge points out, Google released a Windows utility called Project Gameface in 2023, which similarly used a webcam to enable facial control. That app was positioned as a utility to help people play games using facial gestures, specifically (hence the name). Project Gameface was ported to Android the following year.

Google’s announcement today isn’t terribly specific about which devices will be getting this feature or when, saying only that “Chromebooks are getting a boost with accessibility features” including Face control. Given that phrasing, though, it seems likely the option will show up on all compatible devices (as The Verge notes, Google recommends eight gigs of RAM or more to use Face control) soon.