Introducing selfie for sign-in: a new, easy way to access your Google Account
Selfie video gives you more options to sign in, including if you’re ever locked out or don’t have access to your usual phone or computer.
John Gronberg
Director, Product Management
Claire Forszt
Product Manager, Google Identity and Engagement
Your Google Account holds a lot of valuable information, from cherished photos to important emails and documents. We always want to make sure that information is private, secure, and readily available to you, which is why we recommend setting up multiple sign-in methods. Today, we’re adding a new way to sign in: selfie video.
Selfie video is a new way to get into your account, giving you more options if you’re ever locked out or don’t have access to your usual phone or computer.
How to set up and use selfie video
Setting up a selfie video is simple: You just look at your device's camera and complete a few short, guided head movements to capture multiple angles.
If you’re having trouble signing in later on, you just take another selfie to get back into your account. Selfie video compares the new video to the one you set up to confirm it is really you and help you get back into your account.
Built with privacy and security in mind
Your selfie video is yours and you’re in control. It is recorded and securely stored with your consent, and you can delete it at any time in your Google Account. It’s used only for helping you sign in, unless you opt to share it for additional purposes. Your selfie video is encrypted at rest, meaning it's securely stored even when it's not being used.
When you use a selfie to sign in, we use multiple layers of security to help prevent impersonation attempts like fake photos and videos (i.e., deep fakes). For example, we match your video against your saved selfie and require you to perform simple movements to prove it's a live video. We also use our standard security practices to detect and help prevent suspicious sign-in attempts.
This update builds on our ongoing work to provide secure and flexible sign-in options, like passkeys and recovery contacts. You can check if your account is eligible and set up your selfie video today at g.co/signin-selfie.