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Remembering passwords can be a struggle.

While Apple offers touch ID to use your fingerprint to unlock a handset, Google has now released an update to its Android software allowing owners to unlock their phone with their voice.

Known as trusted voice, it can unlock a phone simply by hearing its owner say 'OK, Google'.

The voice unlock feature has not been officially announced by Google, but has begun to appear on some Android Handsets.

'We've heard from multiple users that the fully formed feature is rolling out,' said Android Police.

'Tapping the option under smart lock will take users to the Google app's settings. 

'A warning advises that trusted voice unlocking is less secure than other options, but just a couple taps and you'll be able to unlock and execute commands on your secured device by simply uttering 'OK Google.''

However, even Google admits the feature is not as secure as other password options.

The popup when you enable 'Trusted Voice' warns that the feature is not as secure as a traditional lock screen and that 'Someone with a similar voice could unlock your device.'

Google also offers an alternative way to unlock an Android phone - and it involves using your face.

The Face Unlock feature was originally introduced in 2011 as part of Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich, but despite this, it is still a relatively unknown tool.

It can recognise a person's face and recent updates mean it can even establish whether or not the face being shown to the camera is real, or is a photograph.

Google already lets its users enable two-step verification for their online accounts, and offers Face Unlock on Android. With Face Unlock, pictured, Android users can use their face to unlock their smartphone or tablet, in place of a PIN or a pattern

To set up Face Unlock, people with Android phones running Ice Cream Sandwich or higher can go to Settings, Security, click on Screen Lock and select Face Unlock.

The set-up wizard will then ask the user to take a photo of their face, using the device's front-facing camera. It will also advise if the lighting or positioning isn't clear enough.

Once a photograph is taken it is stored in an encrypted file and each time a person wants to unlock their phone with their face, the Android system will cross-reference the image with this original photograph.

As a backup, users need to additionally set up a screen lock pattern or PIN, in case the camera breaks or fails to recognise their face. This can happen in poor lighting, for example.

HOW TO SET UP GOOGLE'S FACE UNLOCK

To set up Face Unlock, people with Android phones running Ice Cream Sandwich or higher can go to Settings, Security, click on Screen Lock and select Face Unlock.

The set-up wizard will then ask the user to take a photo of their face, using the device's front-facing camera. It will also advise if the lighting or positioning isn't clear enough.

Once a photograph is taken it is stored in an encrypted file and each time a person wants to unlock their phone with their face, the Android system will cross-reference the image with this original photograph.

As a backup, users need to additionally set up a screen lock pattern or PIN, in case the camera breaks or fails to recognise their face. 

This can happen in poor lighting, for example.

When Google launched Face Unlock it was criticised by security experts because it could be bypassed by holding static photos up to the phone or tablet's camera.

In the update to Android Jelly Bean in July 2012, Google added a 'liveness' check in an attempt to prevent these static images being used to gain access to devices.

This meant a user would have to blink while using Face Unlock to prove they were alive.

A number of Nexus 5 users reported problems with the Face Unlock feature when the phone  launched earlier this year, but Google has said that these bugs should be fixed with the introduction of Android 4.4 KitKat.

The expression would then be scanned and compared to a previously captured photo to confirm the user's identity.

The patent explains there would be a small margin of error but the user's expression would have to match the original photo as closely as possible.

It is likely this feature may appear in future versions of the Android operating system, although a precise release date hasn't been announced.