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Google Is Making A Convenient Change To Play Store Purchases

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

TL;DR

Google has announced a small but handy change to the Play Store's biometric verification feature for purchases.

You'll no longer be required to enter your account password when setting up the feature for the first time.

Google has offered biometric support for the Play Store for almost 10 years now, allowing you to use your fingerprint, face, or another form of biometrics to approve purchases. Fortunately, the company is making a tweak to this functionality in the name of convenience.

Google sent an email to users (including ourselves) confirming that you won't need to enter your Google account password after first setting up biometric verification for purchases on the Play Store.

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

The company also urged users to enable biometric verification for every purchase on the Play Store (as opposed to only requiring verification every 30 minutes).

Either way, this change isn't something you'd benefit from every day. But it'll still be handy for those times when you upgrade to a new phone, allowing you to quickly get biometric verification up and running for app store purchases.

Not seeing the change just yet? Well, the tech giant notes that this change will take place in the "coming weeks." So you might have to wait a short while to see it on your end.

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New Google Play Biometrics Warning Issued To All Android Users

Google Play users warned of biometric verification change

SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Google is sending emails to users notifying them about upcoming changes to the security settings for purchase verification on mobile devices. These changes will be implemented in the coming weeks and aim to enhance the security of Google Play purchases. The changes follow a recent verification update for Google Wallet users. Within that email, though, is a warning for all users looking to verify purchases using biometrics on their smartphone.

04/20 update below. This article was originally published on April 18.

MORE FROM FORBESGmail And YouTube Hackers Bypass Google's 2FA Account SecurityBy Davey Winder Google Makes Changes To Google Play Biometric Verification

On the afternoon of April 18, I received an email from Google informing me that it's possible to configure Google Play purchase verification to use biometrics on suitably equipped smartphones. "If you set biometrics," the email stated, "it means that you'll be asked to verify that it's you with biometrics each time that you make a purchase through Google Play."

Google Play warns users of biometric device over-sharing

Google/Davey Winder

These settings, Google said, "only apply to purchases made through Google Play's billing system." When enabling the purchase verification biometric option, your Google Account password will no longer be required to confirm the configuration change. Instead, your fingerprint or face will be used.

Use Caution If Your Kids Have Their Fingerprints On Your Phone

This new Google Play email warns that the changes will be rolling out in the coming weeks and that Android owners should use caution if storing biometrics of children or others on their devices. "If you share your device and choose biometrics as your verification method," Google said, "ensure that you're comfortable with all biometrics stored on your device being used for verification." Otherwise you could be leaving the door open for anyone with those fingerprints or faces stored on your phone being able to pass purchase verification protections.

Google Wallet Gets More Like Apple With Tap-To-Pay

This follows recent news reports that new security settings for Google Wallet will also enable biometric verification as a requirement for every purchase. The verify it's you alert will also pop-up if using Wallet three minutes after you unlock your device. This will sound familiar to iPhone users as Apple Pay requires authentication before any tap-to-pay transaction. Android users will be able disable verification when using the default transit card, even if the phone is locked.

Transit cards can skip verification

Google/Davey Winder MORE FROM FORBESNew Gmail & M365 Warning As 2FA Security Bypass Hack ConfirmedBy Davey Winder

04/20 update: As technology companies such as Google continue to push towards primary biometric authentication, we must ask ourselves whether the general public is truly comfortable with this approach. While some may be biased towards biometrics because of the benefits they bring over traditional passwords, we must also consider other factors. Biometrics are often used as a second factor in authentication, with our devices relying on our faces or fingerprints to grant access. However, just because we may be content to use biometrics to unlock our smartphones, this does not necessarily mean we want to use them for other purposes, such as logging into our bank accounts or making purchases online. It's crucial that we examine the statistics to determine how consumers truly feel about biometric authentication.

A 2016 YouGov survey of adults in the U.S. Found that 58% preferred passwords over fingerprints or facial recognition. Fast-forward to now and when NordVPN asked U.K. And U.S. Residents about their biometric usage it found "50% of U.S. Respondents still use at least one biometric technology (fingerprint, face, or eye scan) daily." What's more 29% don't use any biometric technology at all. All of this tends to suggest there's still a way to go to convince the average user of the security benefits biometrics can bring.

Play Store 'Biometric Verification' Set-up To Drop Google Account Password

Google is emailing Android users about an upcoming Play Store change to encourage the use of purchase verification via biometric authentication.

Today, going to Play Store settings > Purchase verification and turning on the "Biometric verification" toggle, which now uses a Material 3 switch, requires that you enter your Google Account password to proceed. In the future, "you'll use your fingerprint or face instead of your Google Account password" to confirm this preference. Google detailed this upcoming change in a "Your Google Play purchase verification settings" email: "In the coming weeks, there will be a change in how you confirm your setting when you choose biometric verification." The company really wants you to "turn on purchase verification for every purchase." To encourage that, the Play Store is making the biometric set-up process a little bit simpler. You have three Verification frequency options: Always, Every 30 minutes, or Never.  In the email, Google says to "use caution in storing biometrics of children or others on your device, as those could be used for purchase verification," and to "avoid sharing passwords with others." FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

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