If you use a Samsung device you may well have come across reference to an app named Samsung Pass – but what does it do, and should you use it?
It can be a finicky business remembering each passwords for all the websites and services that you use on your smartphone, so various companies have come up with solutions for easy log-in. One of these is Samsung Pass, which is compatible with some (but not all) of the brand’s smartphones and other devices.
What is Samsung Pass?
Samsung Pass is:
- Similar to a password management system
- Goes one better than just remembering the letters and numbers in a code
- Allows you to use biometric data such as your fingerprint, your face, or your irises
- Samsung claim it means a quicker, easier, more secure login.
However, not all apps and websites may support this authentication system; for some you will still need to enter the password in the usual manner at certain stages of the process. Also, you’ll have to use Samsung’s own internet browser rather than Google Chrome for example.
How does Samsung Pass work?
If you want to set up Samsung Pass on your device, then you’ll first have to register your biometrics if you haven’t already done so. Do this by simply entering the settings app, and scrolling to ‘Biometrics and Security’.
From there you can register by choosing the ‘Samsung Pass’ option from the ‘Biometrics and Security’ menu, as shown below:
Is Samsung Pass secure?
We can’t give a definitive answer to this question, as we haven’t tested it yet.
However, it uses biometric login details, and these are never completely foolproof (despite the added convenience). Tools such as iris scanners, fingerprint scanners, and facial recognition, can occasionally be fooled, so bear this in mind.
We have recently reported on previous Samsung security issues, the second of which was quickly resolved:
- February 21: Google instructs Samsung to stop adding its own code to the Android kernel due to potential security flaws
- October 23: A security flaw meant that Samsung’s in-screen fingerprint scanners registered the pattern imprinted by the screen protector rather than the actual fingeprint
