British consultancy Juniper Research has predicted that 770 million mobile apps offering biometric authentication will be downloaded per annum by 2019, up from just 6 million this year.Juniper says that high-profile deployments of biometric authentication techniques – such as the TouchID fingerprint sensor being used for the Apple Pay service – would drive wider adoption among the public.However, the report added that biometric identification that do not require embedded hardware are also rising in popularity. These include Descartes Biometrics' ERGO ear print biometric authentication app and Nuance's voice authentication service.Biometric applications can improve the user experience by reducing the rejection rates inherent in alphanumeric passwords, said the group, while warning that warned that significant public education is necessary for this potential of the technologies to be realised. Last December, Juniper predicted that smartphones will move beyond touchscreens for commands, and biometric data such as iris features, fingerprints and gesture and facial recognition will increasingly be used instead as a “human interface” for interaction.The increasing role smartphones play in different facets of human life will demand that handset manufacturers develop new modes of control beyond touchscreens, says Juniper in the report “Human Interface Technologies: Small Gestures, Big Opportunities”.
Research group: Biometrics apps to surge in popularity
