Apple, Google device biometrics to be available to third-party developers in Japan

Beyond any specific would-be trade deal, the general sense that the world should no longer lean on the U.S. will impact how governments shape policy, with implications for the biometrics industry. New antitrust laws in Japan aim to put a cap on monopolies for the world’s biggest tech firms – namely Silicon Valley megabrands Apple Inc. and Google LLC.

Japan Today reports that the guidelines issued by the Japan Fair Trade Commission focus on banning “discriminatory treatment of app stores” not operated by the two U.S. goliaths.

Apple and Google account for over 90 percent of Japan’s smartphone operating system market. Almost all traffic for apps flows through their respective stores.

Japan wants to change this. In 2024, the nation’s parliament enacted the antitrust laws with the intention of opening up market access for third-party developers. Their final guidelines list 100 specific examples of violations.

Significantly, the law will “require that app developers be given access to OS functions like voice calls and biometric authentication.”

Granting developers access to OS biometric authentication could open the door to more use cases for native device biometrics. OS-based biometric systems are among the most familiar and trusted uses of biometrics for many users, and could tip the scales in terms of user trust and adoption.

Another potentially notable prohibition on Apple and Google prevents them from using data obtained from the operation of their app stores or operating systems in their own products or services, per Kyodo News.

Apple, predictably, opposes the law, asserting that it undermines privacy and security, and “forces it to provide its technology and services to competitors free of charge,” which it says could create new risks.

The financial incentives are clear. Japan’s domestic app market has been valued at about 2.4 trillion yen (16.2 billion dollars) from in-app purchases alone. More competition could lower prices for consumers, spurring a larger digital economy.

It is also true that opening up native biometrics to developers could prompt a need for new regulations. However, that is likely not what Apple has in mind.

Japan’s new laws are set to take full effect in December 2025.

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  face biometrics  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  Japan  |  mobile app  |  regulation