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Samsung releases Gear 2, S-Health, & Gear Fit SDKs, opens S5 fingerprint scanner to developers

Samsung announced the release of three new SDKs for new products today during its developer day at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The new and updated SDKs bring new features for developers interested in developing apps for Samsung’s latest suite of products including the just announced Galaxy S5, Samsung Gear 2, and Gear Fit. With the new SDK’s, developers will have full control over some of the new sensors Samsung packed into its new product lineups including the S5’s fingerprint sensor:

  • Gear 2 SDK – For creating apps for the new Tizen-based Gear 2 and Gear Neo. It ensures everybody a level of openness and flexibility in the ecosystem of apps for Samsung wearables.
  • S-Health SDK – Significant because it opens up access for developers to lots of data being collected from sensors on the Galaxy S5, Gear 2 and Gear Fit. It also allows for more robust activity data tracking, and overall easier development of health apps.
  • Gear Fit SDK – For selected developers to create apps for the new RTOS-based Gear Fit.

In addition to the three new SDKs listed above, Samsung has also updated its Samsung Mobile SDK to version 1.5 with support for new Galaxy S5 features. Most notable is the fact that Samsung is opening up the Galaxy S5 fingerprint scanner to developers:

The Samsung Mobile SDK 1.5 beta1 consists of 16 independent packages; including ‘Pass’ and ‘Motion’, which allow you to make use of the Finger Print and Activity Recognition features of the Samsung GALAXY S5.

It’s unclear if Samsung has certain restrictions over how developers can use the fingerprint scanner, but, unlike Apple, it will allow developers to take advantage of the sensor in their apps. A quick look at the SDK shows developers will be able to at the very least request fingerprint recognition and “Verify whether the fingerprint of the current user matches the fingerprint registered on the device.” Samsung also has a new Multi-screen SDK for creating cross-platform, second-screen experiences for smartphones and TVs.

You can learn more about the new SDKs and download them now through Samsung’s Developers site.

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Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s weekly Logic Pros series and makes music as one half of Toronto-based Makamachine.