Is a Fingerprint scanner essential for Android Phones?

[Shadowave]

 

[Parsh]

The biometric system is not essential and even not so secure as we might think.
In fact, Elliot Williams of Hackaday claims it is less secure of authentication via alphanumeric password. To prove his statement he lists a series of critical issues.
Your Unhashable Fingerprints Secure Nothing

And honestly, probably just a marketing artifact

Fingerprint is more on customization rather on security side.
PIN code is still a good choice however it can be remove via factory settings unless you want to put protection too.
PIN code must be your backup security component since a fingerprint can be bypass with so many ways, by theory or actual.

Cannot agree more! It is more of a convenience than a security feature in most use cases.
It makes accessing some need-to-be-locked apps/transactions quicker via easier unlocks, especially when needed frequently.

It can be a saver if your phone is lost since easy lock patterns won't take too much time to be cracked unlike FPs (unless the FP can be reconstructed due to insufficient measures like lack of encryption/safe storage). Hardware level FP protection (like in MI phones) seem great. However FPs can be easily obtainable from real world like mentioned earlier, if the intents are not well.

While it might protect you from your peeping friends better, they (friends or parents) can access your phone through your fingerprint when you're asleep.Yes, I've tried that! Capacitive FP sensors are too swift.

 

[brod56]

A well memorized 6-digit PIN or Pattern takes no longer, and you cannot use your Fingerprint ID to unlock the device upon a system reboot (at least on iPhone).

Yeah same on Android. I only reboot my phone once a day though.
Anyway it's just a matter of convenience. No major security differences.

 

[janyao]

yes i think so.

 

[lab34]

Hello,
it's not essential, but it's convenient, and it prevents from somebody to look at your pin or your pattern over your shoulder.

When I'm in a meeting with colleagues, I too often see some composing pin like 1234 or 0000.
And, on my old phone, I can see the pattern revealed on the glass because of the finger prints on the plastic.

And a very closed person always forget her pin, so she don't have security on its phone :-(
I think I will buy her a phone with a fingerprint scanner.

 

[ForgottenSeer 55474]

I would like a fingerprint scanner just like on IOS

 

[Nuno]

I would say it's not essential, I didn't really understood what the whole point of it was other than unlocking your phone in another way. It seemed like more of a nifty thing than an actual need.
However, since I got a phone with one, I find it especially useful, not just faster phone unlocking but also fingerprint protecting some important apps and banking apps.
It adds another layer of security on your phone and I appreciate that. I wish the banking apps I use supported a double layer of security, asking me for the pin code and fingerprint before accessing it. However they just let me pick one or the other. Bummer!

Now I do think, though, that the fingerprint scanner is a pretty nice feature to have, even to the point that I'd call it essential if you're looking for a new phone.

 

[ctrlz]

I thought it was not essential, until I bought a smartphone with fingerprint scanner, it literally increased everything (unlock, app authorization, password, ...)