It’s been a while now that we have fingerprint sensors on Android
devices to securely lock the phone with biometrics rather than using a
pattern or a PIN. However, that was it, there was no option from the
Android’s end to extend the feature to provide an additional layer of
security like locking apps and settings with the fingerprint sensor.
Either developers, like Samsung, had to give their API access to
developers to come up with working apps, or they made one themselves
just for particular devices like Xiaomi or Coolpad. Secure All Droids | Shutterstock
This feature was limited as most of the phones with a fingerprint
sensor didn’t have a supporting app. But thanks to Android Marshmallow,
developers have now included the fingerprint hardware for the developers
to work on and there are apps which now works on Android devices
universally using which one can lock apps using the fingerprint sensors.
In the past, we have already covered an app
using which one can lock apps using the fingerprint sensor to lock apps
on Android Marshmallow, but the app was pulled down by Google due to
unknown reasons. So to make things right, today I am going to talk about
three new apps you can install on your Android Marshmallow devices with
fingerprint sensors to provide the extra layer of security and if at
all any one of them has issues with development, you will always have an
alternative.
You Must Note: If your phone
has a fingerprint sensor on the home button with capacitive touch
feature, the apps might not work because as soon as you authenticate
your fingerprint, you will be taken to the home screen. Devices like
Xiaomi Mi 5 where you can press the home button, you will have to
deactivate the feature to use capacitive touch feature on the button for
the following app to function.
1. App Locker
App Locker
is the first app that you can try on your device. It’s a very basic app
with a simple interface. After you install it to your Android, it will
ask you the primary and secondary lock mechanism that you would like to
use which should ideally be fingerprint followed by PIN or Pattern.
Having done that, the app will ask you to grant Accessibility access
from the settings which will enable the app. All you need to do now is
look for the app you wish to lock in the list and turn on the toggle.
In Settings, you can choose to relock the apps immediately
and also change the primary and secondary lock preference. But the
global settings can be overridden by individual apps if you choose to
give different settings to some of the apps. The app has ads and they
would show up on the lock screen and you can buy the pro version to
remove them.
2. FingerSecurity
The second app that you can try is FingerSecurity and the initial setup is similar to App Locker. You will have to check is the app is compatible with the device and grant it Accessibility Access
which is mandatory for such apps to function. Having done that, you are
free to load the app lock list and enable toggle switch to lock the
particular app.
Here too you get the option to override global settings with per-app custom settings.
However, there are no ads on the lock screen even though the app is
completely free. You can buy premium features like location based module
or different unlock themes by in-app purchases.
3. CM App Lock Fingerprint Unlock
CM App Lock Fingerprint Unlock is the third and the most feature rich fingerprint app locker that you can install on your Android, but the fact that it’s from Cheetah Mobile developers
made me skeptical of sharing it. But the app has good ratings and works
good, so there is no harm in trying it out. CM App Lock Fingerprint
initial configuration is very similar and just like any other app, you
will have to lock the apps from a list. The option to lock Bluetooth and
Wi-Fi state is also an added feature.
The features that are worth mentioning about the app is that you can
download several lock screen themes for free and give your lock screen a
new color every day. Apart from that, you get the option to reset the
password using the Google account you have on the Android. The app also
gives you the option to snap a picture from the front camera if it
detects multiple failed attempts to unlock the app.
Conclusion
So these were the top 3 working apps using which you can lock apps on
your Android devices using the fingerprint sensor. There are chances
that Google might include the fingerprint app lock feature by default in
Android N, but we all know that it’s gonna take some time. So till
then, these are your best alternatives for Android Marshmallow.
