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If you have an Android smartphone with a fingerprint scanner running Google’s latest-and-greatest OS update, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, you can now authenticate purchases in the Google Play store with just a press of your thumb, as first spotted by Android Police.
That’s something iOS users have been able to do in the App Store on their iPhones and iPads since Apple launched the iPhone 5s with a fingerprint scanner back in 2013. (Apple calls it Touch ID, and it’s proven incredibly popular.)
So it’s essentially taken Google two years to catch up on this front.
As of the time of writing, the only fingerprint-enabled Android devices running Marshmallow are the newly launched Huawei Nexus 6P and LG Nexus 5X. The LG G4 is the first non-Nexus device to receive the update to Android 6.0, but it doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner.
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Earlier this month, we took a sneak peek at the latest Google Play redesign, which started rolling out last week and brings with it said fingerprint authentication for purchases.
But to take advantage of the new feature, Android users will have to go into Google Play settings and manually enable it under “User Controls.” Simply check the Fingerprint Authentication box, and you’re good to go.
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