Buying stuff on Google Play will get a lot easier with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, as the new OS brings fingerprint authentication to quickly authorize purchases.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow brings a slew of neat features to the table and one of the greatest highlights is the addition of fingerprint support thanks to its new fingerprint application programming interface (API). Even better, this support is not just for securely unlocking a device or other functionality limited to the phone's lock screen, it extends to the Google Play store as well.
With the latest version of Google's mobile operating system, users will be able to authorize Play Store purchases with their fingerprint. This new Google Play option significantly increases convenience and security, while also helping users save time when they shop.
Android Police first spotted this option in a teardown of the v5.9 client back in early September and the option is now live for fingerprint sensor-equipped handsets running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. For now, this means that only the new Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X support it.
Oddly enough, the fingerprint reader option is disabled by default, which means that users will have to specifically activate it in the Google Play store if they want to authenticate payments with their fingerprint. To do so, open the Google Play app and head to Settings > User Controls. The second option under User Controls is called Fingerprint Authentication and has a box that you can tick on or off to activate or deactivate fingerprint authorization for purchases. To enable the option, check this Fingerprint Authentication box and enter your Google password when the Play Store prompts.
Once you activate this option, you can purchase items in the Google Play store with a simple tap on the device's fingerprint sensor. If you'd rather use your password instead, you have this option as well.
As previously mentioned, only the LG Nexus 5X and the Huawei Nexus 6P support this functionality for now, but any future device that launches with Android 6.0 Marshmallow on board and has a fingerprint reader should support fingerprint authentication for Play Store purchases.
