Use the Face Unlock Touchless Clock In feature on your Android Time Clock to enable your team members to clock in and out of work, as well as start and end breaks without touching the Android device.
Using this touchless solution to track time and attendance will help your businesses alleviate some of the stress around quickly adapting to new health and safety procedures as well as provide a faster clock in and out experience for team members.
The guide has been written for Deputy users with an access level of System Administrator or Location Manager and will cover:
- What is Touchless Clock In
- Is Touchless Clock In suitable for my business
- How team members use touchless clock in
- Set up touchless clock in and get started
- Tips and FAQs
What is Touchless Clock In
The Android Time Clock Face Unlock feature allows team members to clock in and out for work with a contactless scan. They can then use voice-activated commands to clock on and off without touching the device - this includes starting and stopping breaks.
By just walking up to the device and using commands such as “Start shift“ or “End break”, team members can avoid needing to touch the device.
Is the Touchless Clock In suitable for my business?
This feature was designed to ensure a safer and more hygienic way for team members to clock in and out of their shifts.
It also enables team members to clock into their shifts faster than ever before. It especially suits businesses that have >50 team members all clocking in or out of a shift at one time. Long queues that once formed at the device and resulted in a loss of productivity at the start or end of a shift are now a thing of the past.
Note: The touchless clock in process requires voice-activated commands and so the kiosk device location should not be in a noisy environment.
How team members use Touchless Clock In
For their first use, your team members will need:
- A clear profile picture set up on their profile (maximum size of 10MB). The photo should not include more than 1 person otherwise the match will fail. If a profile photo of your team member does not exist, they can upload a new profile picture on their Deputy iOS or Android app or via the Deputy website.
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To opt in to using Face Unlock to access the Deputy Time Clock for Android.
Note: the very first time team members use the Deputy Kiosk for Android they will need to use their PIN to access the Kiosk then opt-in to Face Unlock if they wish to use it. Face Unlock does not automatically detect the face of new user until they have given permission.
Please note voice commands are recognised in English.
The Deputy Android Face Unlock feature is powered by Amazon’s facial recognition technology. Once your device camera detects a face, a photo is taken and securely sent from the device to Amazon, where it is compared against the user's profile picture. If there is a precise match, the respective team member will be able to clock in or out in seconds.
Then, ongoing, it’s just three easy steps for your team members:
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Walk up to the device and tap "Use Face Unlock"
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Hold still and smile for the camera
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Clearly state one of the following voice commands: “Start shift”, “End shift”, “Start break” or “End break”
Note: team members must have a recent, clear and good quality profile photo in their Deputy account. Profile photos must be 10MB or less. Learn more about the Touchless Clock In photo requirements here.
The voice command feature uses voice recognition software and it does not require training. Simply ask your team members to make sure they:
- speak clearly and enunciate their words
- are close to the device
- speak in a calm voice that’s not too quiet or too loud
Set up Touchless Clock in and get started
If you are new to Android Time Clock
Follow the instructions for downloading and configuring the Android Time Clock.
During the set-up process, ensure that you select Face Unlock or enter PIN authentication option rather than PIN only.
If you have set up Android Time Clock previously but now want to enable Touchless clock in
1. Log in to the Kiosk as a System Administrator or Location Manager.
2. Tap on Settings.
3. Select Authenticate By.
4. Select the Face Unlock or enter PIN option.
Note: the very first time team members use the Deputy Time Clock for Android they will need to use their PIN to access the Time Clock then opt-in to Face Unlock if they wish to use it. Face Unlock does not automatically detect the face of new user until they have given permission.
For Enterprise Customers
Alongside the ability to enable the feature via the Time Clock app, Enterprise customers can also enable the feature remotely by simply navigating to the Kiosks settings page under the Enterprise tab on Deputy's web application.
Under ‘Authenticate By’ look for the “Face Unlock OR Enter PIN“ prompt to enable Face Unlock for your Time Clock.
Once you save the setting, it will take approximately 5-10 minutes for all team member photos associated with your account to be converted into unique Face IDs.
The camera should appear as on by default on your device. If it doesn’t appear, pull to refresh the team member list.
Touchless Clock In quick tips and FAQs
Need help setting up your Android Time Clock for the first time? Click here to learn more.
Use the profile photo tip sheet to ensure your team member profile photos are good quality and appropriate for use.
Why can't I access Touchless clock in?
Please ensure:
- your tablet is updated to the latest Deputy Time Clock app
- the manager has set up the Deputy Kiosk to enable Face Unlock
- and you have opted into using Face Unlock.
How do I opt-in to using Face Unlock
The first time team members use the Deputy Time Clock for Android they will need to use their PIN to access the Time Clock and then opt-in to Face Unlock if they wish to use it. Face Unlock does not automatically detect the face of new user until they have given permission.
To opt-in to using Face Unlock:
1. Select your name from the list on the Deputy Time Clock for Android and enter your PIN. Forgot your PIN?
2. Tap Settings on the top right of the screen.
3. Toggle ON Face Unlock and tap Done.
Why haven't my team members' photos appeared in the Android Time Clock?
Once you have enabled Touchless Clock in, please allow up to 5-10 minutes for your team members profile photos to be indexed. It is important for your team members to have profile photos uploaded to their profile in order for this feature to work.
The app will now show the camera on by default. If it doesn’t appear, pull to refresh the team member list on the left-hand side of the screen.
Does the voice feature support multiple languages?
Not at the moment.
What happens if the voice command does not pick up what was said?
Please check that you have not inadvertently revoked access to your device’s microphone. To check, go to your device Settings > Privacy > Permission manager and check that Microphone is enabled for the Deputy Time Clock app.
Note that team members can still fall back to using the existing PIN entry method to start/end their shifts and breaks.
Do I need to have this feature turned on for all my time clock devices or can I trial it on a few?
You control which time clock devices you want the Face Unlock feature on for - even within a single location you can have one Time Clock device with the feature on and the other with the feature off.
My business is using Custom Timesheet Fields, will my team members be able to clock out without touching the device?
For now, completing Custom Timesheet Fields will still require your team member to interact with the device.
My business does not schedule shifts for our team members, will they be able to clock in without touching the device?
For now, the contactless nature of the Face Unlock feature requires a team member to have a scheduled shift and as such will still require your team member to interact with the device to select the area where they will be working.
What if my team members do not want to use the Face Unlock feature?
Team members will be introduced to the Face Unlock feature the first time they use the Time Clock, after you’ve turned the feature on.
Those who do not wish to use the Face Unlock feature can still log in using their PIN and then also opt out of Face Unlock for future logins. They need to click on SETTINGS on the top right-hand side of the screen, once they have logged into the time clock app.
Their clock in method will revert to using the PIN method.
Where should I place my Time Clock device?
For an optimal clock-in experience, make sure your time clock faces a plain wall in an environment that is not too noisy if you are using voice commands.
What's the fastest way to clock in, PIN or Touchless Clock In?
The end to end Touchless Clock In experience is considerably faster than the PIN clock in and clock out functionality per team member.
If as a manager, I update the profile picture of my team members, which profile picture is used by the Face Unlock feature?
If a manager updates the profile picture of team members who have opted into using Face Unlock, the new picture will be used by the feature. The profile photo of the team member set at the account level will be used to compare the photo taken at the time clock device. If an account level profile photo does not exist, it will use the team member's global level profile photo instead.
However, if a team manager does later update their own profile picture, the manager uploaded photo will be replaced & the new team member uploaded profile photo will be used by the Face Unlock feature (if the team member has opted into using Face Unlock).
Where does Deputy store profile or time clock photos?
This feature will capture the photo required for timesheet approvals to be stored on Deputy’s Amazon Web Service (AWS) S3 buckets for team members who have opted into using Face Unlock.
Otherwise, the images taken on the Time Clock are only used in transit to send to the facial recognition service and are not stored. The geometric distance between primary facial features is stored and used to calculate similarity. If you wish to read up on the AWS Data Privacy statement, you can do so here, and if you have any questions feel free to reach out to support.
Are there any country/state specific laws for capturing and storing biometric data?
Please check your local geographical laws regarding the storage and usage of biometric data. As a minimum, we suggest you communicate usage of this feature with your team members.
Note that once a team member is archived or removes their consent, we will delete their biometric data.
Will I be charged to use the Deputy Android Face Unlock feature?
There will be no charge for this feature.
Is this feature supported on other Android devices?
Previously only available on android tablets, the Deputy Time Clock app will now also run on your mobile phone. However, your phone or tablet must be running Android 5.1 and over and have a minimum screen size of 4 inches.