How to set up fingerprint, iris scanning, and face recognition on the Galaxy S8

Ben Schoon | Apr 18 2017 - 11:28 am PT

Samsung has never taken security lightly, and that’s immediately apparent on the Galaxy S8. Not only does Samsung’s latest flagship pack support for a fingerprint, but it supports two other types of biometric authentication. So, here’s how to set up fingerprint, iris scanning, and face recognition on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+.

First things first, let’s take a quick look at these different options.

Fingerprint Scanning

The first is the most familiar, fingerprint scanning. This feature has been present on Samsung’s last few flagships, and shows up on the majority of smartphones on the market today. In the S8, you have a rear-mounted sensor since the bezels are too small on the front.

While annoying, it’s at least nice to have that sensor for a number of reasons. There’s of course, unlocking the phone, but also authenticating apps like PayPal or LastPass, and swiping to access your notifications.

To set up fingerprint scanning, you’ll need to perform the following steps.

Open the Settings app
Navigate to Lock screen and Security
Tap Fingerprint scanner
Enter your PIN, password, or pattern if asked
If no fingerprints are registered, the phone will walk you through the process of adding one
Once completed, you can add another fingerprint if you choose
To use your fingerprint to unlock the phone, ensure Fingerprint Unlock is toggled on

Iris Scanning

Then, there’s iris scanning. This first popped up in Samsung’s ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 but has returned better than ever in the S8. This feature scans your eyes and will open your device only to them. You can’t fool this with an image or even an identical twin either. It will work for you, and only you.

To set up iris scanning, you’ll need to perform the following steps.

Open the Settings app
Navigate to Lock screen and Security
Tap Iris Scanner
Enter your PIN, password, or pattern if asked
If your iris is not registered, the phone will walk you through the process of doing so
To use your iris to unlock the phone, ensure Iris Unlock is toggled on

Face Recognition

As for face recognition, we’ve got a super fast way to enter the phone without touching anything but the power button. It works incredibly well, but it’s also not very secure. Something as simple as a decent image can trick this method, so if security is key for you, you’ll probably want to skip it.

Open the Settings app
Navigate to Lock screen and Security
Tap Face Recognition
Enter your PIN, password, or pattern if asked
If your face is not registered, the phone will walk you through the process of doing so
To use your face to unlock the phone, ensure Face Unlock is toggled on

It’s also important to note that you can’t have Iris Unlock and Face Unlock active at the same time. If you want security, use the iris scanner. However, if you want something fast that isn’t the S8’s terrible fingerprint scanner, use face unlock.