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Comment by lawnchair_larry | Hacker News Reader

Both of those were on other phones before Apple did it.

And other people made smartphones before Apple did. The details and the secrecy thereof matter far, far more than the features themselves.

The technology used on both of those was not on other phones before Apple did it. "Face recognition" and "fingerprint scanning" are not the same thing as "Face ID" and "Touch ID".

Which phone had actually usable/secure fingerprint auth before the iPhone?

The fingerprint sensor made by Authentec, was the centerpiece of a Motorola Moto X1 and slated to be in Google's Nexus 6 before Apple bought their supplier, effectively preventing the release. That's why those devices were released with a dimple where the fingerprint sensor was going to be, even though there was nothing in that spot where the finger rests.

That is to say, TouchID capacitive fingerprint scanning was going to be shipped in Android first and Apple delayed the market introduction with a strategic acquisition.

Prior devices like the Motorola Atrix and Toshiba G500 also had fingerprint biometrics.

I did say "usable" though, and the fingerprint sensors before the iPhone were not.

I would know, I had the same style fingerprint sensor that you see on the Atrix or the G500 on my laptop, and it was terrible.

Wow, I didn't know this story, thanks!

Source?

Literally the only Google results for a search regarding Authentic and the Moto X1 is this thread and your comment.

I found a lot, here's one: https://9to5mac.com/2015/01/26/nexus-6/

Are the Moto X1 and the Nexus the same phone? The parent comment seemed to suggest that they were 2 different phones. Even in that case, what Apple released was slightly different from what AuthenTec had created at the time so I don't see how anyone can say that Touch ID was out before Apple brought it to market.

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