This Free App Brings a Fingerprint Scanner to Android Phones

Maybe you feel like your Android phone is missing a key feature, but you just can’t put your finger on it. Hmmm.

Oh, right. How about a true fingerprint scanner?

Now, thanks to ICE Unlock Fingerprint Secure, you can unlock your phone with your fingerprint, without the need to install any additional hardware.

ICE uses your phone’s rear camera to snap a high-resolution picture of your finger. Its biometric software analyzes the fingerprint, and then, when you unlock your phone in the future, requires you to put your finger up to your camera in order to prove that it’s you.

All of this means that you can now give your old Android phone a new feature, similar to Apple’s Touch ID, without the need for the touching part.

Of course, Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint reader is what turned our attention to this technology when it was launched as a key feature of the iPhone 5s last year. Touch ID was one of the most lauded features of Apple’s newest smartphone, and perhaps the selling point for many users who decided to upgrade last fall.

We’re now seeing other companies rush versions of fingerprint-sensing hardware into smartphones of their own. And while there are many fake fingerprint scanners in the Google Play store, this one appears to be one of the more legitimate options for Android smartphone owners.

All you have to do is grab the free app from the Play Store, load it up and follow the onscreen instructions to capture your fingerprint and create a backup PIN. Once you’re registered, you’ll be prompted to set ICE Unlock as your default home app. This gives the app permission to lock access to your Home screen and App Drawer.

After ICE is all set up, your Unlock screen will actually look the same. But after swiping that away as you normally would, you’ll be forced to give your phone the finger (sorry) before going any further. If the camera fails — which it occasionally does — you’ll input that backup PIN.

In our trials, the reader’s accuracy wasn’t fabulous; then again, there have been complaints about Apple’s sensor as well. The main difference here may be that ICE is free for you to try right now, so we say give it a shot.

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