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Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
TL;DR<\/p>\n
We all want our devices to be secure, but practical considerations mean we\u2019re often striking a balance between security and convenience. That\u2019s not a bad thing at all, as we don\u2019t always need to be taking advantage of every security protection available to us, and systems like Android\u2019s Identity Check<\/a> are built for just this reason, letting us get away with just using a PIN or biometrics when we\u2019re at home, but beefing up security and insisting on both when outside a trusted location.<\/p>\n Just last week, we looked at one way Identity Check could soon be changing<\/a>, with the tool evolving to recognizing the presence of your connected smartwatch. At the time it wasn\u2019t yet clear exactly how the watch would alter Identity Check\u2019s behavior, but now it\u2019s starting to come into focus.<\/p>\n \u26a0\ufe0f<\/strong> An APK teardown<\/b> helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.<\/p>\n Identity Check is designed to help save your bacon when you\u2019re in just about the worst situation: someone else not only has your phone, but they also have your PIN. Maybe they shoulder-surfed while you were unlocking the phone, or used threats to get you to reveal it, but Identity Check is built to assume that your PIN\u2019s been compromised. That\u2019s exactly why it also insists upon biometric authentication when trying to access saved passwords or change critical security settings from anywhere other than a trusted location.<\/p>\n Here are the strings we spotted last time we looked:<\/p>\n Code<\/p>\n Copy TextWith your watch connected, Identity Check automatically recognizes you while maintaining your security even when you\u2019re not in a trusted location
Those made it clear that Google\u2019s working on a way for Identity Check to use the presence of a paired watch as a signal of trust, just in the way a location already can. But what we didn\u2019t have at the time was confirmation of how Identity Check would work differently when it sensed your watch.<\/p>\n Looking through the new 25.31.30 beta release of Google Play Services, we\u2019ve spotted an additional string that provides some answers:<\/p>\n Code<\/p>\n Copy TextOutside of trusted places like your home
There we go: When you\u2019re using Identity Check with a smartwatch it recognizes, you\u2019ll be able to bypass the need to provide biometrics, even when away from home. Basically, it\u2019s like two-factor authentication, and you\u2019ve got to choose any two of the three: PIN, biometrics, or the presence of your watch.<\/p>\n We suppose it is conceivable that someone manages to learn your PIN, steal your phone, and also take your smartwatch, so hopefully there\u2019s a setting to choose whether or not we want to take advantage of this option once it finally arrives.<\/p>\n In addition to fleshing out our understanding of smartwatch support, this release also drops a few mentions of a \u201cV2\u201d of Identity Check and hints at a possible expansion:<\/p>\n Code<\/p>\n Copy TextIdentity Check works with any app that uses biometrics.
\nProtection on the move with watch<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 If you have a connected watch, you can use either biometrics or your PIN
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 If you don\u2019t have a connected watch, you\u2019ll be required to use Fingerprint or Face Unlock<\/p>\n
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\nNote: Over time, Identity Check may add more ways to verify it\u2019s you and secure apps on your device.<\/p>\n