Flashback: two decades of fingerprint readers on mobile devices

07 August 2022
Following the journey of fingerprint readers as they land on mobile devices and eventually move under their displays.

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  • 01 Jul 2024

Anonymous, 08 Aug 2022I avoid them at all cost - UD Fingerprints is a straight NO... moreA few years back it occurred to me that good citizens fought against various pilot programs that fingerprinted children, with the "public safety" mantra being the government justification, and now they have a complete end run on that. Uncle Sam has kids and adults fingerprinting themselves now in mass quantities!!! Freely, so they can "securely" access their devices. Google is no friend to privacy. Betting they've made millions selling fingerprint data to Uncle Sam. No fingerprint ID for me, thank you very much. They track me too much already.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • wrb
    • 31 Oct 2022

    Sin, 20 Aug 2022I rather that fingers print scanners don't exist they ... moreand that's why now companies are providing us with hardware based security chip that may save our biometrics information in a separated chip from the rest of our device's data (ex: samsung knox, i think google have one too)

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      • Sin
      • 0Fj
      • 20 Aug 2022

      I rather that fingers print scanners don't exist they just add extra cost to smartphones and are unnecessary and will eventually be a technology that will get into the wrong hands if not already

      A finger print scanner just another technology that uniquely identify you it's possible there even spyware

      Your fingers print will almost definitely end up in a database somewhere and get into the hands of bad people who miss use technology like what happens always happens with technology and tech companies

      Passwords or pattern are better in my opinion no possibility of identify you and are better for privacy and password can be changed if figure out also not stuck with same id

      This will be an unpopular opinion I think

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        • Icedanny38
        • xjH
        • 16 Aug 2022

        crispcketlicker, 08 Aug 2022To put a side mounted fingerprint sensor would never be an ... moreDo you that when the screen is on the face id is already unlock so i dont think that can.the only thing apple can do is that they can setup side mounted sensor

          -Trix-, 08 Aug 2022"So how do you get in? Just embed the TouchID into th... moreWell, sorry to say you're wrong.
          Android has had Fingerprint Scanner on the back for years, and it gets a lot of praise, and very little criticism. FaceID when released had a lot of issues, and guess what, after all the improvements it's still not great. It is slow, hit and miss detection, and requires you to physically lift the device and look at it. Much less convenient than TouchID, which is why there is actually a "cult following" behind the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8SE.

          Where FaceID makes more sense is on an iPad, iMac, and MacBook. And potentially on CarPlay, but I doubt it. Especially with the pandemic and face masks, showed how bad of a solution FaceID was incontrast to TouchID.

          Remember, I'm talking about TouchID and placing it in the logo on the back, we're not talking about side-mounted scanners (they have smaller size for the electronics and the sensor, which makes it more hit-miss than usual). Not sure if you realised but the Apple logo is placed in the perfect place. That's where your fingers come across, making it super easy to unlock without even looking at it. Just make the outline of the logo slightly indented, like how TouchID was on the front. This also achieves another thing, it means that phone cases can't cover the logo. Which means free advertising for Apple to show off it's iconic logo.

            wongwatt, 08 Aug 2022Not my experience, the side mounted sensor on my Xperia 1 i... moreI had 2 Sony phones with side mounted fingerprints and didn't have any issues.

              No Mention Of The Uber CooL One Button Navigation Feature in the Motorola Phones from 2016-2018 ?

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                • Magnaroader
                • 7Pk
                • 09 Aug 2022

                The next evolution will be a peen reader.

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                  • AnchalagonTheJetBlac
                  • teX
                  • 09 Aug 2022

                  Xiaomi Mi5s had World's first ultrasonic fingerprint reader, not galaxy s10

                    blue, 07 Aug 2022Face recognition works only when you look straight at the p... moresince its not taken seriously, its like whatever +1 feature...

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                      • Anonymous
                      • mFd
                      • 08 Aug 2022

                      I avoid them at all cost - UD Fingerprints is a straight NO, Capacitive I can cover up fortunately.
                      What a world to live in with everything we do digitally being saved by companies, therefore governments and completely identifiable with the fingerprint.

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                        • blue
                        • 0CN
                        • 08 Aug 2022

                        you have to suffer, 08 Aug 2022its not like using your phone like a tablet. why would anyo... moreSorry, I don't get your idea, it was not in English.

                          blue, 07 Aug 2022Face recognition works only when you look straight at the p... moreIt does actually.
                          My 13 sometimes works at 45° when it rests on a table beside my bed, but you need to look at the sensor.

                            SShock, 08 Aug 2022And when it's not in the hand, it's where? Displa... moreWell for me I always lift it off the table

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                              • Bummer
                              • xjH
                              • 08 Aug 2022

                              SShock, 08 Aug 2022And when it's not in the hand, it's where? Displa... moreand when you want to use it again you pick it back up. Why will I unlock it when it's not in hand.
                              You can use tapping wake to see the lockscreen.
                              Yeah the Glyph whatever is of no use when most people but the phone display upward

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                                • wongwatt
                                • L9v
                                • 08 Aug 2022

                                dbjungle, 07 Aug 2022Under-Display sensors suck. They are slower, less accurate... moreNot my experience, the side mounted sensor on my Xperia 1 ii was dreadful.
                                Unlocked 1 in every 5 or 6 attempts before completely stopping needing a reboot to recover.
                                Every optical has worked better than that for me, my latest one is very fast and reliable.

                                  Kangal, 08 Aug 2022I'm still angry about the iPhone X. They should have ... moreTo put a side mounted fingerprint sensor would never be an "Apple thing", i'm glad that they brought a great and complex face recognition technology with FaceID. They were not the firt ones to do it, but they did it better than anyone else. TouchID is convenient too, but FaceID was the natural evolution to that, but for sure i would love if i could have both on the iPhone, would be cool.

                                    Kangal, 08 Aug 2022I'm still angry about the iPhone X. They should have ... more"So how do you get in?
                                    Just embed the TouchID into the Apple logo on the back."

                                    Horrible idea! So unergonomic! Everyone fingers go naturally to different place of back of the phone, because people have different length fingers and hands, for example for me natural place for the Touch ID then would be just below camera.

                                    If one needs to adjust the finger to scan it, it means the implemention already failed. It all should happen automaticly, kind a like how Face ID already works.

                                      AnonD-731363, 08 Aug 2022Man but you can. I bet you can. With a couple of try it w... more"Man but you can.
                                      I bet you can. With a couple of try it will work."

                                      And yet since iPhone X no-one been able to fool Face ID with photo, but you think it's possible 😅

                                      "But fact is that fingerprint is always better."

                                      Face ID already lot better, have both in my daily use and want to get rid of my iPad fingerprint scanner. Luckily my next iPad will have Face ID too, because it's so much more effortless to use.

                                      "And you couldnt use your face ID when wearing face mask durring the covid spread disease."

                                      It works now very well so Apple were able to fix that shortcoming too for the future too.

                                      "Fingerprint is better it nicely works at any time."

                                      Are you forgetting that many countries have thing called winter where you need to wear cloves, also many jobs require gloves.

                                      "Maybe not for womans which cant even go out from home without tons of cosmetics on their face and the phone will not recognize the user without 5-10 kilos of makeup."

                                      Again wrong, makeup doesn't make any difference with Face ID, it measures your Face, it doesn't care how you look. That's why it can't be fooled with photo, because photo is 2D.

                                        AnonD-731363, 08 Aug 2022Man but you can. I bet you can. With a couple of try it w... moreHow exactly can you fool a system that is designed to read the depth of facial contours with a 2d image dude?????

                                        And I'm not sure what you mean by 'tons of cosmetics', but my wife is no stranger to glamming herself up for a night out, she has never complaint the face ID system is fooled by her make up.

                                        You can prefer a fingerprint scanner all day long if you want, it's personal preference after all. But you a really reaching to find issues with face ID here.

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