Android M News: Google Adds Native Support For Fingerprint Scanners

May 22, 2015 11:59 AM EDT

(Photo : Reuters) Granular Permission Apps were meant for internal debugging and users had minimal access to these apps. As compared to the old versions of Android, the newer ones hit these apps completely, but with Android M, users will have more access of the App Ops.

Though details about Android M are not yet disclosed, a new report reveals what seems to be one of the most significant features that could come with Google's upcoming OS.

The most popular mobile operating system (OS) Android is slated to get a TouchID-style system of its own with its most awaited Android M, BuzzFeed News has learned. The Web giant might confirm the support for fingerprint scanner in Android M at I/O 2015. In addition, it is expected to act a lot like the iOS tool, omitting passwords for associated apps to be able to read users' fingerprint, thus allowing users to log in to all the supported apps on their Android devices without having to enter a password.

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The fingerprint authentication system is not something new as far as smartphones are concerned as Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, HTC M9, along with others, have already introduced the system on the Android OS handsets. That being said, they were specifically OEM-created solutions. Android M, on the contrary would natively feature the fingerprint authentication technology and also make it mainstream with the complete Android OS ecosystem, and needless to mention, fingerprint sensor hardware would be still needed to be included by OEMs.

Last year, the search engine giant was reportedly working on a set up and enrolment process, fingerprint lock screen along with "service to manage multiple clients that want to access the fingerprint HAL API," which implies a system fingerprint APU that is capable of being plugged into any app and make it compatible with the feature, according to Ars Technica, that found commits in AOSP for Nexus 6 for a fingerprint sensor.

If the report is anything to go by, almost every Google app would support the fingerprint authentication feature when it is launched. But that is not all, other than offering support for third-party apps; Google Chrome might also use it to let users sign-in to websites without having to type the password. Moreover, Google Play purchases and Google Wallet authentication can also use the feature.

Although fingerprint authentication is yet to be confirmed for Android M, citing that it has almost made its way into Nexus 6, hints a possibility of it arriving either in the next OS version or the next Nexus device, said Huawei.