Is there a way to create a fingerprint scanner for an app (native or hybrid)?

Question

I am looking for a way to create a fingerprint scanner for an app. The app can be native or hybrid (ionic).

The porpuse of this goal is to develop an app that creates an user with his personal data plus his fingerprint. So, I can log him in to the app through his fingerprint.

I know that the IOS touchId does not allow me to retrieve user information. It tells me only if the user is logged or not, returning only true or false. Because of that I need to create my own fingerprint scan.

Maybe, there is another way to achieve this goal. I accept other suggestions too.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Android 6 introduced the Fingerprint Authentication API, which will likely go some way toward fulfilling what you require.

To authenticate users via fingerprint scan, get an instance of the new FingerprintManager class and call the authenticate() method. Your app must be running on a compatible device with a fingerprint sensor. You must implement the user interface for the fingerprint authentication flow on your app, and use the standard Android fingerprint icon in your UI. The Android fingerprint icon is included in the Fingerprint Dialog sample. If you are developing multiple apps that use fingerprint authentication, note that each app must authenticate the user’s fingerprint independently.

To use this feature in your app, first add the USE_FINGERPRINT permission in your manifest.

See also - Fingerprint API for android phone

Answer 2

Apple goes to great lengths to protect the user's fingerprints. The fingerprint scan data never leaves the internal hardware. Instead it's used as a digital signature.

You won't be able to upload a fingerprint from iOS.

Answer 3

To answer your comment on how other apps are doing this:

1. They require the user to login to the app for the first time, manually.
2. They then store the users login credentials somewhere secure.
3. Next time when the user logs into the app, using Touch ID (Or the Android variant ) - once successful, they then retrieve the stored user credentials from the secure place they placed them in.

There is no need to access the actual finger print. You must also note, that apps that allow multiple users accounts to login are not suited to using biometric information to login as we have no access to the fingerprint data; we cannot verify whose fingerprint it is.. just that the device authenticated it.