Your face might not be secure enough to buy things... for years
Don't expect the Galaxy S8's new face unlock tool to sign off on mobile payments anytime soon. A new report says it could take years to secure.
Samsung's facial recognition unlock lets you activate your Galaxy S8 just by looking at it. But it could be a more than four years before it's secure enough to be used for Samsung Pay, reported The Korea Herald, citing a source within the electronics giant.
Today, fingerprint readers (and in Samsung's case, the iris scanner) secure mobile payment services like Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay for millions of people. Face unlock, on the other hand, has been reportedly fooled by photographs. Making facial recognition a way to authenticate mobile payments could be more convenient than both the iris scanner and fingerprint reader.
The iris scanner and fingerprint reader work with Samsung Pay.
"In order for facial recognition to be solely used for financial transactions, it would take more than four years considering the current camera and deep learning technology levels," according to The Korea Herald's source.
Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Samsung has previously told CNET that its facial recognition isn't secure enough to access Samsung Pay or the Secure Folder, and there's even a disclaimer when you set up face unlock on the Galaxy S8.
This may not prevent other companies from considering it, though. LG has been rumored to be bringing facial recognition to its upcoming LG Pay service, while Apple's iPhone 8 is rumored to use your face to unlock the phone. It's unknown how LG or Apple's technology will differ from Samsung's, if at all.
When in doubt, you can always use your tried and true fingerprint instead.
