Why Smartphones Are Now Adding Iris Scanners

For those who value their privacy, Samsung might be making it a little harder for someone to break into your phone. If you’ve ever configured your smartphone to offer up that 6-digit entry code, you’ll be pleased to know that the conglomerate has its eyes set on retinal scanning technology. But as we approach the release of the Galaxy Note 7, it's fitting to wonder exactly how secure this relatively new breed of biometrics might be.

The concept of utilizing iris scanners to unlock phones is not exactly novel. In fact, it’s old news for ZTE, a China-based multinational telecommunications company that released the ZTE Grand S, which featured retinal scanning in the form of the “Eyeprint ID,” last March. Biometrics and consumer technology have long gone hand in hand. Apple has featured fingerprint scanning through “Touch ID” in its iPhone since 2013. While such technology has proven to be reliable, it is not always the safest option. If you’ve ever seen a crime show before, you will know that fingerprints can quite easily be lifted and copied. Iris scanners, along with other biometric applications, are indeed susceptible to foul play. However, this is not to say that retinal scanning is of no use. ZTE allows for various biometrics, fingerprints, Eyeprint ID, and voice recognition, to be used in conjunction with each other. The value of such security measures are best observed in layers. Of course, the more security steps the user installs, the less likely their phone’s data is to be compromised.