14 DAY TRIAL // While Apple sticks with Face ID and doesn’t yet show any intention to bring back Touch ID (though this is still expected to happen sooner or later), Android device manufacturers are investing heavily in this old-school yet super-convenient biometric authentication method.
The fingerprint scanner is here to say, that’s for sure, and several companies out there are working on making it even more convenient overall.
Xiaomi is one of them, as the company has recently filed a patent that describes a new way to make the fingerprint sensor embedded into the glass easier to use overall.
The current vs. Xiaomi’s implementation
At this point, the sensors embedded into the screen require users to touch the display in a dedicated region to unlock the device.
In most cases, this special region lights up and displays a dedicated indicator to make sure users touch the screen in the right place, therefore allowing for accurate (and thus faster) scanning.
Xiaomi’s new patent describes a substantially upgraded way to do this by allowing the user to unlock the smartphone by touching the display pretty much anywhere. In other words, the entire screen plays the role of a fingerprint scanner, which means the whole process would become incredibly convenient.
Oddly enough, we’ve previously heard rumors that even Apple was planning to launch a Touch ID sensor embedded into the glass and supposed to work all over the display.
Xiaomi, on the other hand, looks fully committed to making it happen, though as with everything still in the patent stage, it’s better not to hold your breath for it.
Huawei has also filed patents for similar technology, but once again, the company is yet to launch it on devices available for the public. It remains to be seen who does this first, but right now, it’s pretty clear the game is on.