Thanks to a recent commit, found by Chrome Unboxed, we learn that Chrome OS is getting a new UI for setting up fingerprint authentication, bringing it in line with Android.
While Chrome OS has long had some fingerprint settings and UI hidden behind a flag, this new page is specifically to be shown when setting up a new (or factory reset) device, known as the “out-of-box experience.”
Reading through the new strings in the code reveals more details about the feature. For example, Chrome OS will support saving up to three fingerprints, and, like Android, the fingerprints can be used “for identification or to approve purchases.” That same string also references an icon, seen below, that will be shown when a fingerprint is being requested.
The strings are also surprisingly specific about where the fingerprint sensor is located:
Touch the sensor with your index finger. It’s on the top left of your Chromebook.
Perhaps there is a specific device in mind for this support, or the positioning of the sensor will be standardized across devices. Either way, I wouldn’t necessarily get hopes up for a Chromebook with a fingerprint scanner too soon.
Thus far, the new generation of Chromebooks launching at IFA, including Dell’s return to premium Chromebooks and Acer’s revamp of the popular Chromebook 14, have not featured fingerprint scanning. Not to mention Chrome OS has teased fingerprint support since 2016, with a great deal of speculation around the Pixelbook possibly being the device to premiere it.
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