Samsung recently pushed its latest Android Oreo beta build to the Note 8, and an APK teardown of the device’s Oreo Settings app, conducted by SamCentral, reveals Samsung is working on several new biometric and camera features.
Based on the inclusion of these features in the company’s latest Oreo beta, it’s likely Samsung will eventually add them to the Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note 8. Moreover, it’s possible the company will ship the Galaxy S9 and S9+ with these features included.
The first of the new biometric features is called ‘Intelligent Scan.’
In one code string, Samsung describes this feature as combining “face and iris scanning to improve accuracy and security even in low or very bright light.”
Included in the Settings APK is a short overview video (below) that demonstrates how Intelligent Scan works.
It appears that Samsung envisions Intelligent Scan as complementary with the S8 and Note 8’s existing face unlock and iris scan capabilities; according to the code SamCentral dug up, disabling one of the features, also disables the other two.
That said, the feature does appear to be a replacement for inputting a PIN or drawing a pattern to unlock a phone. However, users won’t be able to do away with both security protections, as device owners will still be required to add either a PIN or a pattern as backup.
Another code string mentions that users can take advantage of Intelligent Scan to authenticate their identity within apps and on websites.
Moving on to the camera features, Samsung is working on a new camera mode called ‘Tag Mode,’ which will allow the company’s smartphone users to add geolocation and weather data to their photos.
The following warning accompanies Tag Mode:
“This camera mode will attach, embed, and store geographical location data and weather information within each picture you take. Use caution when you send, share, distribute, transmit, or copy these pictures, since they contain information about where the picture was taken.”
Lastly, the company is working on a feature called ‘3D Stickers’ that will allow Note 8 users to add stickers to photos they’ve taken with the phone’s dual cameras. After adding a sticker, users will be able to adjust the depth at which it is placed.
As with any potential features that are in-development, until Samsung announces something official, there’s no guarantee these features will make their way to users.
Source: SamCentral Via: VentureBeat
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