Samsung adds Android 10 support for Google’s Biometric API in S9 devices

Samsung has updated its iris scanner feature in some Galaxy S9 and Note9 devices, making it compatible with Google’s Biometric API in Android 10 beta, writes Android Police based on user reports in the Android 10 One UI 2.0 beta program. S9 users can now sign into a higher number of apps including LastPass, Google Pay and banking apps, which now support the biometric iris scanner in the devices.

Believed to be an impossible to duplicate and completely unique to each individual, iris recognition was first integrated in the Galaxy Note 7 for phone unlocking, and for use with Samsung Pay, and Samsung Secure Folder to enhance mobile security. Biometrics researchers, however, pointed out in an academic study that the biometric accuracy of iris recognition is reduced by the presence of type II diabetes.

The feature is no longer available in S10 series, as it was not popular among third-party app developers who had to use Samsung’s in-house SDK. Unfortunately, this update is not available for S8 series users who will have to keep running Android 9.

To set it up in Galaxy S9 or Note9, simply go to Settings > Lock screen and security > Iris Scanner.

In October, Samsung upgraded the facial recognition feature in Galaxy devices running Android 10 and One UI 2.0, making it mandatory for the user’s eyes to be open and adding the option for a second look.

In December, Samsung announced it was considering dropping the ultrasonic biometric fingerprint scanner from its S11 series after users complained that the S10 could be easily unlocked when using a screen protector.

Article Topics

access management  |  Android  |  biometrics  |  Google  |  identity verification  |  iris recognition  |  Samsung