Logging Into Apps Will Soon Get Easier On Android
Google’s operating system for smartphones, Android is FIDO2 certified. This was granted to it by the FIDO Alliance, of which Google is a member. The newly granted certification will make logging into websites and certain apps much easier and will be in effect with a quick update of the Google Play Services.
What Is the FIDO2 Certification?
The FIDO Alliance was formed in July 2012 to provide strong authentication technologies. It is focussed on eliminating the need to remember multiple usernames and passwords. The Alliance certifies authentication through biometrics, security keys, clients and servers to comply with FIDO specifications and meet certified security profiles. Therefore, this allows logging into all FIDO-enabled websites using the certified devices for a seamless experience.
The FIDO2 certification on Android will only be available for devices running the Android version 7.0 Nougat and above. Interestingly, the version was released by Google back in 2016. This certification will allow users to log in to certain websites and apps that are FIDO enables with the help of the fingerprint sensor on the device. For devices without a fingerprint sensor, there will be support for PIN or Pattern just like one would unlock their devices. This is expected to make signing in an app or a website convenient, without the need for remembering any passwords.
Some Android apps already had a feature like this in action for a while. Many banking apps and wallet apps already allow logging in using fingerprint or using the screen lock for easier access. The FIDO2 authentication standard is supported by major browsers available on the operating system like Chrome, Edge and Firefox. But it may be a while when most apps on the Play Store support the feature, as the developers will need to adopt FIDO’s Android Programming Interface (API) to support the feature.
Also read: ZTE Launches The Axon 10 Pro 5G At MWC 2019
Unfortunately, only about half of the total Android devices currently active will receive the aforementioned update. As about 50 percent of Android devices still run a version older than Android 6.0 Marshmellow.
