Fingerprint Unlock & Google Pay

[ZRed96]

Hi All

When I wish to make payment using Google Pay, I unlock my Galaxy S5 by fingerprint and hold it over PayWave terminal. Once transaction is completed I close (lock) my phone.

My issue is that, while this works fine, every few transactions, as I hold phone over PayWave terminal, the phone asks me to enter my backup password. Once I enter my fingerprint backup password the phone displays "Try Again" and the PayWave transaction then works fine.

This unnecessary step (since no one else can unlock with my fingerprint) is frustrating. This doesn't seem to happen to others I know.

Since I reverted to unlocking my phone with a PIN, PayWave transactions work every time without requesting my backup password.

However, I would prefer to use fingerprint security.

Has anyone experienced or heard of this issue?

Would appreciate any advice.

Thanks!

 

[lvt]

This unnecessary step (since no one else can unlock with my fingerprint) is frustrating. This doesn't seem to happen to others I know

Your statement presents a security risk, fingerprint unlocking is not the safest method, you can hide your password in your head but you can't hide your fingers. I don't use PayWave but I have an apps lock tool installed. The app would ask for a PIN from time to time even if I selected to use fingerprint as default method to unlock.

 

[mikedt]

Perhaps the system is having difficulty in verifying your fingerprints occasionally? Have you tried clearing and re-authorising them? Or could be for security?

I've never used Visa Paywave myself, I don't think they accept it here. I use Tenpay and Alipay, that uses fingerprint ID, but occasionally it does ask for PIN instead. Which is probably for security. If it can't verify PIN after so many attempts, it locks out. Paywave maybe similar.

 

[ZRed96]

Ivt what do you mean I can't hide my fingers?

 

[ZRed96]

Thanks mikedt, you may be right. Google Pay didn't seem to have a clue!

 

[mikedt]

Thing with fingerprint ID, what happens if you loose a digit and an unauthorised party gets hold of it? PIN or password is a backup.

 

[Hadron]

Fingerprints are regarded by the manufacturers as a weaker form of security than a password. Their merit is convenience while being much more secure than single camera face recognition (which is laughably insecure). Therefore it's standard for a device which uses fingerprints to unlock to ask for a PIN every now and then.

In the case of my Pixel I get asked every 2-3 days (I'm not sure how many unlocks inbetween, but quite a few - 40 or 50 perhaps), but a different manufacturer may choose a different frequency. It may be that this is being triggered due to a bug or it may be that they require the same verification for Google Pay. If you literally never get it when using a PIN then "bug" is most likely (old phone, fingerprint software will be different from current models), but I don't use Google Pay so can't say whether this happens on other phones. I don't get the pin verification request when using other apps that use fingerprint authentication, but my OS is much more recent than yours and if it only asks every 50 uses or so it's still possible that it's just luck that I've not had that anyway.

 

[mikedt]

I'm pretty sure it's randomised, when the phone requests a PIN or pattern unlock rather than fingerprint.

When I first got my Huawei, it was always every 3 days, first unlock of that day it would do it. Which is predictable and a definite security weeknes. But after OTA updates, it seems like its completely random and can require PIN or password at any time.

 

[ZRed96]

Thanks guys much appreciated.