Google was working on bringing the option for users to access the Find My Device app on their phones using biometrics. It appears that the feature is finally rolling out via a new update, as seen in the Find My Device app version 3.1.173-1.
Before this update, users were required to enter their password to log in to the Find My Device app. While there was an option to enter the password once and tap on the "Don"t ask again" box, it posed a security concern, as it left the device vulnerable. Anyone with access to a user"s phone could get into the app and tweak the list of devices.
However, the new biometric login option gives the user not only a quicker but also a secure login method. If the user hasn"t set up biometrics on their phone, they will still need to enter the Google account password. During the development phase, there was an option to either enable or disable the biometric login option.
However, with the latest update to the Find My Device app, the biometric login option is enabled by default, and there is no option to disable it.
Aside from the biometric logging option, a new tablet user interface has also been spotted in development. Currently, the Find My Device app on tablets has a bottom sheet, which can be used to reveal or hide more options, similar to how it works on phones.
With the new updated interface, the layout is slightly tweaked, and the bottom sheet has shifted over to the left side of the app. The side panel now houses all the options, giving more vertical space to interact with. Notably, the side panel doesn"t seem to be resizable, and when opened, it takes up almost half of the screen space.
For now, there is no clarity on when the updated tablet user interface will be available to the general public. Still, the biometric login option is available with the latest version of the Find My Device app. If you are eager to use the feature, ensure that you have installed the latest update for the app.
Source and images: Android Authority