Skip to main content

EyeVerify developing an eye-scanning unlock tool for your phone

14036251-laser-scanning-eye-close-up
Image used with permission by copyright holder

We’re constantly looking for ways to secure our devices. Nowadays, the most common is the alpha-numeric password protection. Some devices have introduced biometric fingerprint scanning, and we may be seeing more of that in the future. Coming up next, reports Gadget Review, will be eye scanning.

Developed by EyeVerify and introduced at the Mobile World Congress, Eyeprint is an application the company is currently working on; once ready, it will use a mobile device’s camera to snap a photo of the user’s eye, only unlocking the phone after verifying that the veins of the eye belong to the owner.

While some skeptics may wonder how accurate eye vein biometrics are, particularly when compared to a person’s fingerprint, the company assures that they’re just as accurate.

According to EyeVerify’s website, scanning one’s eye (or, as they call it, eyeprinting) takes four simple steps:

  1. Hold the phone anywhere from 6-12 inches away from the user’s eye.
  2. The user looks to the left or to the right, but not directly at the camera.
  3. The phone alerts the user when the scan is complete by vibrating.
  4. Total processing of the image is complete in less than one second.

The application isn’t quite ready for the market just yet, but the company assures that it’s close to finishing it and releasing to the public. No word yet on what the pricing may be.

It’s hard to say who EyeVerify is likely to target the product toward. We can imagine that the average user would find it much easier to just press a thumb down on the screen rather than to snap a photo of their eye each time they want to use their phone, particularly because so many of us are constantly locking and unlocking our phones, so it could prove to be a bit of a pain.

Editors' Recommendations

Joshua Pramis
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Spending a childhood engrossed in such technologically inspiring television shows like Voltron, Small Wonder, and Power…
Google has no idea what it’s doing with the Pixel Tablet
The back of the Google Pixel Tablet.

With its latest move to try and encourage you to buy a Pixel Tablet, Google has unfortunately indicated it still has no idea what to do with its most recent return to tablets.

Its big plan to sell more tablets is to take away the best thing about them, which then gives it an excuse to charge a bit less. Reducing the price is a good thing, but in the case of the Pixel Tablet and Google's solution, there’s sadly no longer any reason to buy it at all.
Google's new plan for the Pixel Tablet

Read more
A big iPhone update is right around the corner
An iPhone 15 Pro Max sitting upright, showing one of its home screens.

With announcements for 2024 models of the iPad Air and iPad Pro, today's been a busy day of Apple news. But the iPad isn't the only Apple product in the news today. Following the big announcements from its event earlier this morning, Apple also shared some important news regarding the next iPhone update.

As of Tuesday, May 7, Apple has begun rolling out RC builds for iOS 17.5. RC stands for "Release Candidate," and it's the last beta version of a software update that Apple releases before its final public rollout. In other news, the official iOS 17.5 update should be right around the corner.

Read more
Google Pixel 8a vs. Pixel 7a: Do you really need to upgrade?
Google Pixel 8a vs Pixel 7a.

The Google Pixel 8a (left) and Google Pixel 7a Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

The new Google Pixel 8a has entered the market to compete in the budget smartphone category. It has officially replaced the Google Pixel 7a, which was launched in 2023. Although the two phones' appearances are quite similar, the newer model boasts several improvements under the hood, making it considerably superior.

Read more