Microsoft will finally let you unlock your phone with your fingerprint this summer

Sat, May 14th 2016, 09:51 AM


The HP Elite x3 will be the first Windows 10 Mobile device to support fingerprint logins.

One of the marquee features of Windows 10 was the addition of Windows Hello, a biometric login feature that eased the process of unlocking your device. While Windows 10 Mobile users can use the facial recognition feature today, fingerprint reading has so far only been available for desktop and tablet users.

However, that’s changing this summer, as Microsoft adds support for fingerprint scanning with the Anniversary Update, the company announced at the Windows Hardware Developer Conference. The upcoming HP Elite x3 will be the first phone to sport a scanner, but other phones will likely follow suit.

While Microsoft may seem late to the game on this front, Windows 10 Mobile is just starting to roll out in full force, with upgrades to the current operating system just opening up in March with a select number of phones.

However, those phones don’t have scanners yet. But Microsoft is allowing device makers to offer peripheral fingerprint scanners, so we may see fingerprint-scanning cases or dongles on the market soon. That is, if manufacturers see a market for them. And with Microsoft’s mobile market share predicted to stay in the single digits, that may not come anytime soon.

By James Risley

Source: geekwire.com

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