The next version of Android — tentatively called Android M — will reportedly include "native fingerprint authentication," according to a report from BuzzFeed.
With fingerprint authentication baked right into the mobile operating system, users will be to "log in to all of the supported applications on their Android devices without entering a password," the report states.
Google is expected to announce the feature at its annual Google I/O developer conference that will be held from May 28 to 29 in San Francisco.
iOS users with TouchID-equipped devices know all about the convenience
of using a fingerprint instead of entering a password. Not only is it
faster, but it's also more secure.
Fingerprint authentication will require a device with a fingerprint sensor, though. There aren't many Android devices that have fingerprint sensors right now — the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, S6/S6 Edge and HTC One Max are a few that come to mind — but that will likely change soon.
A fingerprint sensor was originally planned for the Nexus 6, but Google scrapped the feature at the last minute when it couldn't get a first-class supplier. Apple reportedly gobbled up all of the sensors Google wanted.
In addition to replacing annoying passwords, fingerprints can be used for mobile payments. Apple Pay has already proven to be a hit and Samsung Pay hopes to replicate the same success.
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By Raymond Wong....!
