Galaxy S21 to be released with voice biometric unlock option

It has emerged that Samsung’s Galaxy S21 mobile device, which is set to launch in 2021, will be released with voice biometrics features.

According to a report by SamMobile, the Galaxy S21 will come with several new capabilities, including the running version One UI 3.1 which features the Bixby Voice assistant as a biometric option for unlocking the device.

SamMobile reported that One UI 3.1 will allow users select Bixby Voice unlock from the phone’s lock screen security settings, but said there were no details at the moment yet about how the system will operate.

Bixby Voice is said to be an upgrade of Bixby itself, which had the ability to unlock the Galaxy device by following a user’s command when they wake it up by saying ‘Hi Bixby’. The digital voice assistant had previously also offered the option to set a voice password for hands-free device unlocking, per the SamMobile report.

The report suggests that although the voice biometric option of the Galaxy S21 is still to be seen, there are already concerns about how secure it will be as any person with a recording of the device user’s voice may be able to unlock and access the phone.

SamMobile opines that so far, only fingerprint authentication and the old methods of pins, patterns and passwords remain the most secure biometric authentication methods for Galaxy phones, unless the company reintroduces the iris scanner, which would require the reintroduction of a bezel.

Another report by SamMobile also indicates that the Bixby Voice feature was recently updated and Bixby added to Samsung DeX. With it, Samsung DeX users are able to use voice controls to manipulate various aspects of the user interface. This is said to have brought about more convenience to user experience. Samsung DeX is a software that lets one connect a phone to a smart TV monitor.

Article Topics

access management  |  biometrics  |  mobile device  |  Samsung  |  smartphones  |  voice biometrics