Fingerprint readers on smartphones are slowly becoming very common as more companies have started implementing such sensors into their devices. And while these are OEM solutions, the use of this security technology isn’t natively supported by Android. But this might not be the case for long.
Android M which is more or less confirmed to be the next version of Google’s mobile OS is said to feature native support for fingerprint authentication. An API ecosystem for the same already exists and was almost implemented into Lollipop with the Nexus 6 being the first to support it. Well, thanks to Apple purchasing the company Motorola planned to use for getting the sensor, the entire plan got scrapped.
The dimple on the rear of the Nexus 6 is where the fingerprint reader was supposed to be situated. Ars Technica is reporting that the chances of the fingerprint API being implemented into the next version of Android is relatively high considering that the search giant previously came so close to releasing it with Lollipop.
There are many benefits to native support for fingerprint authentication on Android. Firstly, we would see a lot more OEMs implement it into their devices. And all applications would be able to leverage this security feature. For example, integration with Chrome will allow you to log into websites and purchases made on Google Play will only be approved after authentication.
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The report also reveals other new treats Google plans to launch soon. Hangouts is said to be getting a lot smarter, and there’s a good chance that the company might include a theme engine into its mobile OS. And we might finally see split-screen and multi-window being natively supported by the platform.
Android M is expected to get officially unveiled at the upcoming Google I/O developer conference later this month.