Google tests hand-gesture reCAPTCHA verification via webcam

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Credit: Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

TL;DR

Google is testing a new reCAPTCHA check that uses hand gestures for verification.

Using your webcam, Google analyzes one or more videos of your hand performing various actions or gestures.

If you are unable to perform the challenge, reCAPTCHA switches back to visual and audio challenges.

A couple of months back, Google made a change to its reCAPTCHA system , requiring Android phones to have Google Play Services version 25.41.30 or higher installed. While not a big deal for most Android owners, the change is a big problem for those running GrapheneOS or other de-Googled operating systems. Staying on the topic of reCAPTCHA, the tech giant is testing a new check that relies on your hand.

As Google explains in its documentation, this new check uses hand gestures for verification. The company says it “analyzes one or more videos of a user’s hand as they perform various actions or gestures,” like a wave. It will decide if the user is real or fake by extracting “hand landmark data” from the video.