What Is Intelligent Scan on Your Samsung Galaxy Phone?

A couple of years ago, Samsung introduced a new feature on their new Galaxy phone. One that combines a variety of facial scans to speed up authentication on smartphone devices. But what’s the technology behind Samsung’s intelligent scan? How does it work? And how well does it perform?

Well, the technology was staggering, the likes of which had only been seen in action movies before. Today, however, we’ve gotten used to this smartphone technology. So let’s dive a bit deeper into it.

What Is It?

Your Galaxy’s front-facing phone camera is much more powerful than you think. No, we aren’t talking about megapixels and resolutions here – we’re talking about what it helps your smartphone do.

This technology will scan your face and even individual facial features to ensure that the person trying to unlock the device is you. This is a quick way to unlock your device without having to push any buttons, scan any fingerprints, or enter any passwords. Even after a couple of years, this technology still inspires awe.

How Does It Work?

We won’t get into the nitty-gritty here – it’s complex technology stuff that you most likely don’t care about too much.

The intelligent scan feature uses the iris scanner in combination with face recognition. In this way, it allows secure phone unlock and various other authentications. But how do the Galaxy models use this combination?

First, the phone will scan your face. If this scan doesn’t succeed in unlocking the device, it will scan your irises. Finally, if the iris scan fails, the Galaxy device will combine the two to unlock your phone.

The best thing here is that it all happens very quickly – almost instantaneously. So, you don’t have to think about which scan is being currently performed. All you need to do is hold your Samsung Galaxy in front of you and it will unlock. Provided the model has the intelligent scan feature, of course.

Security vs. Convenience

You may not be aware of it, but there’s a constant battle between security and convenience with smart devices. Extensive security measures require long and complex authorizations. Simple, convenient authorization methods call for mild safety features. And so the battle rages on.

The Galaxy models use a regular camera to map your face in 2D, which is the bottom line of their facial recognition features. On the other hand, Apple smart devices create complex, more secure 3D facial scans. Which one do you think boasts better security? Well, the latter, of course. But do you really care that much about your smartphone security?

Galaxy is open about the fact that their facial scan features are less secure than those of their counterparts. But they underscore the notion that people value convenience a lot more than privacy, at least when it comes to smartphones.

This is why the facial scan features of newer Galaxy models boast quick responsiveness. It’s not as if facial recognition unlocks are slow on iPhones, the difference is barely noticeable.

The Cost of Low Security

If there’s one thing about Apple, it’s that they’ve made their most advanced phone unlocking methods universal. What does this mean? Well, if you want to unlock your iPhone, you’re either going to have to use a password, fingerprint detection, or facial recognition. If you want to pay for something using, say, App Store, you’re going to have to use the same level of security access. In other words, Apple feels confident with its security features.

On the other hand, you’ve got Galaxy, which offers quicker response time in face scanning, iris scanning, and unlocking. Sure, some users were able to gain access to the latest Galaxy devices using the owner’s photos. However, this is exactly why the technology is only used for phone unlocking.

But when you think about it, someone can easily see your phone unlock pattern or password. They could even get to your fingerprints and use them to unlock your phone. Scanning irises and facial features isn’t completely secure on Galaxy phones. But it’s more of a convenience than a top-notch security feature.

Yes, to an extent, it’s still a security features and you probably won’t be able to unlock the device using the owner’s picture. But it wasn’t built to be Fort Knox.

Is Galaxy the Right Track?

Say what you will about iPhones – yes, they are ridiculously expensive when you consider their hardware. Much more expensive than the much more powerful Galaxy models. But with Apple, it’s not about power. It’s about integration. Something that Android phones are still unable to achieve – every part of an iPhone is made by Apple.

The same goes for their smooth face detection technology. Yes, it might be a tad slower than on Galaxy phones, but it’s much more secure. Granted, people might need convenience more than they require security. However, no one will buy a Samsung Galaxy instead of an iPhone based solely on this feature. It could go either way.

That said, Galaxy is definitely on the right track. They’re looking for ways to compensate for the lack of perfectly-compatible features (like on Apple smartphones).

How Good Is the Intelligent Scan?

Let’s be honest, you won’t be disappointed. It still works very quickly and, unless you’re in corporate or any other form of espionage, you don’t have too much to worry about. After all, if someone is that determined to hack into your phone, they’ll do it, no matter how secure it is.

Therefore, the Galaxy’s intelligent scan feature is most likely going to satisfy your security and convenience needs.

Galaxy’s Intelligent Scan

It may not scan your face in 3D, it may not offer perfect levels of security. Despite this, Galaxy’s intelligent scan is definitely convenient and secure enough for most people. It will scan your face, then your irises, and finally the combination of both. It will do everything so quickly that you won’t even have a chance to think about it.

Would you try the Galaxy’s intelligent scan feature? If you already have, were you satisfied? What’s your opinion on the feature? Feel free to let everybody know in the comments section below.