Fingerprint readers to arrive on Android phones everywhere

Android M feature leaked ahead of Google I/O developer conference next week

Fingerprint readers to arrive on Android phones everywhere (Getty Images)

Your next Android smartphone will very likely come with fingerprint recognition.

As with the very top iPhone and Samsung Galaxy mobiles, users of Google’s upcoming Nexus line and other flagship devices will have the capacity to authenticate their payments and web services with just the touch of a fingertip.

The news comes with a leak reported by Buzzfeed ahead of the Google I/O developer conference next week where the platform's third-party software engineers gather to hear about the latest toys and features they’ll get to use as the most up-to-date version of the OS is announced.

Android M, as the operating system will be know, will offer fingerprint reader support to device manufacturers and so it would be unthinkable for Google’s hugely popular Nexus line of pure Android phones not to come with the technology installed when the next model arrives.

Until now, the Samsung Galaxy 6 and Edge 6 mobiles have been the only Android devices offering fingerprint recognition thanks to the Korean company’s own software. The arrival of the feature on out-of-the-box Android will standardise the experience for users across the board. With Android a far more open platform than iOS, the move may come as an alarm bell to those concerned with biometric identity theft.

Tune in for all of the important announcements from Google I/O when it begins on May 28.