Galaxy Note 7 iris scanner instructions leak, this is how the scanner will work

With the Galaxy Note 7 due to be announced in the next couple of weeks, leaks are suddenly getting more detailed. The latest leak virtually confirms one of the features we’ve long heard will be part of the next flagship phablet’s spec list.

Along with the usual fingerprint scanner, the Note 7 is expected to have an iris scanner. In use, the iris scanner is likely to be used for the same purposes as the fingerprint sensor. That’s to say, it will be used to recognise the user, and ensure no one unauthorised can use the device. 

Galaxy Note 7 Iris Scanner: What is it?

The best way to describe it simply is to say the iris scanner is essentially a camera with a very specific function. The sensors required will almost certainly sit on the front panel of the phone, at the top, near the earpiece. Previous leaks have shown an extra ‘window’ in the front panel, which looks like the perfect space for an additional camera or sensor. 

Android Authority

Galaxy Note 7 Iris Scanner: How will it work? 

In the Lumia 950 XL, a device on the market which already has the feature, there’s an infrared camera as well as a secondary camera. The infrared sensor lights up the user’s eye, so that the second camera can snap a good image and record the data, then turn it in to an encrypted piece of information stored on the device. We can only assume the Note 7’s will work in a very similar manner.

Leaked instructions and disclaimers mention an LED light, suggesting that a light will work in conjunction with a high-resolution camera to detect and recognise the iris. 

The leaked setup instructions state the following: 

• Use the recognition indoors or away from direct sunlight
• Remove glasses or contact lenses
• Hold the device 23-35 cm away from your face
• You can choose to register only 1 iris

The most recent leak also shows part of the security settings menu, and includes a disclaimer explaining the many, many conditions that may cause the scanner to fail at recognising your iris. 

Those conditions include wearing glasses, contact lenses, having narrow or “puffy” eyes, shaking or tilting the device, covering the scanner or LED with a screen protector, dirt on glasses, when your iris is registered in bright light and you try to scan them in low light (or vice versa), when light reflects on to your eyes or glasses, or just when you’re in bright sunlight or low light conditions.

In other words, the fingerprint sensor is going to be the easiest, least frustrating way to unlock your phone. It sounds as if the only way the iris scanner works flawlessly is if you’re in good (but not too good) light, with the phone level with your face and pointing directly at wide-open, glasses-free and contact lens-free irises. In short: It’s going to be a pain. 

Galaxy Note 7 Iris Scanner: What can it do? 

Much of what the iris scanner well be used for – presumably – is security related. That means unlocking your phone, and perhaps purchasing goods online using Samsung Pay, or downloading apps from the Galaxy Apps store. 

The Galaxy Note 7 is being officially unveiled on 2 August, at which point we’ll get our first look at exactly how the iris scanner looks and works, and what Sammy thinks we should use it for. Stay tuned until then be sure to read up on all we know about the Note 7 so far.