88. An Android Biometric Authentication Tutorial

Touch sensors are now built into many Android devices to identify the user and provide access to both the device and application functionality such as in-app payment options using fingerprint recognition. Fingerprint recognition is, of course, just one of a number of different authentication methods including passwords, PIN numbers and, more recently, facial recognition.

Although only a few Android devices currently on the market provide facial recognition, it is likely that this will become more common in the near future. In recognition of this, Google has begun to transition away from what was a fingerprint-centric approach to adding authentication to apps to a less specific approach that is referred to as biometric authentication. In the initial release of Android 8, these biometric features only cover fingerprint authentication but this will change in future releases and updates of the Android operating system and SDK.

This...