Despite the fact that face recognition and other methods of biometric identification have been available to users Android for a long time, they are still only suitable for unlocking smartphones. But to pass authorization in banking applications, confirm a purchase or enter a protected section of the operating system – no longer exists. For this, only a fingerprint is suitable, for which many users have repeatedly reproached Google, demanding that it remove the restriction. But the company was adamant that all other verification methods were not secure enough. Apparently, this year the company changed its understanding of security.
Google decided to make all biometric verification methods equal in importance
Google made changes to the biometric verification system in Android 11, allowing developers to use any means of verifying their identity, depending on their preferences. If they think that, along with fingerprint recognition, it will be useful to use other scanners, then this is their right. This means that developers will be able to write absolutely any verification method into their application, regardless of the level of its reliability and how Google treats it – the main thing is that the user is comfortable.
Why face recognition is worse than scanning prints
Fingerprint reader will no longer be the only biometric verification method available
It may seem to someone that this is unsafe. Still, most modern smartphones are equipped exclusively with software face scanners, and therefore it can be risky to use them for authorization in banking applications. After all, all that recognition algorithms do is compare the face of a person who is seen in front of them at the moment of verification with the image of the one who was previously entered into the smartphone's memory. If there is a match, unlocking occurs, if not, it does not.
The problem is that in this way strangers can also remove the lock if they have similar facial features or use the same accessories as the owner. It can be glasses, piercings, monocle and much more. At least in theory. But in practice, things are a little different.
Safe face scanners at Android
Do you want to replace fingerprinting with face recognition? In Android 11 it will be possible
Indeed, the face recognition systems of some smartphones work rather mediocre, unlocking even in front of strangers. However, there are those to whom such a claim cannot be made. At the same time, the price category to which the device belongs usually does not matter in such cases. I personally tested the face recognition system many times on different smartphones and came to the conclusion that Huawei has one of the best. In any case, my Honor View 20 not only does not unlock in front of strangers, but also recognizes me with glasses, a scarf, and even in the dark. But Samsung actually has some problems with this, because even the flagship Galaxy smartphones with a price of a thousand dollars make mistakes or false positives.
Anyway, in my opinion, users should decide for themselves which method of biometric verification they choose. If they think that facial recognition is more convenient for them than fingerprinting, let them choose it. Indeed, in such situations, in my opinion, it is not a prohibitive technique that works best, but a preventive one. It is enough to simply warn that face scanning may be less secure than fingerprint recognition, thus shifting the responsibility to the user. It's true what I would have chosen, I don't know yet. You never know what.