Passwords are still everywhere, but they are also one of the easiest security tools to misuse. People forget them, reuse them, make them too short, save them in unsafe places, or accidentally type them into fake login pages. Biometrics, like fingerprints or face recognition, can make everyday account security faster and harder for criminals to guess.
If your phone, laptop, banking app, password manager, or payment app supports biometric sign-in, consider turning it on. It can help protect sensitive personal and financial information while making secure logins easier.
What does it mean to use biometrics for security?
Biometric authentication uses a physical characteristic, such as a fingerprint or face scan, to confirm that the person trying to unlock a device or app is the authorized user. The FTC explains in its two-factor authentication guidance that authentication factors include “something you know,” like a password, “something you have,” like a security key or verification code, and “something you are,” like a fingerprint, face, or retina.
For consumers, biometrics usually show up as:
- Fingerprint unlock on phones and laptops
- Face recognition on smartphones
- Biometric approval for banking apps
- Fingerprint unlock for password managers
- Face or fingerprint approval for passkeys
- Biometric confirmation for mobile payments
Are biometrics safer than passwords?
Biometrics can be safer than relying on passwords alone because a fingerprint or face scan is harder to guess, reuse, or accidentally share in a phishing message. A criminal can trick someone into typing a password into a fake website, but the criminal cannot easily make the person’s device release a biometric-protected credential to the wrong site.
That is why biometrics work especially well when paired with passkeys. The FIDO Alliance explains in its passkeys overview that passkeys let users sign in with the same process used to unlock a device, such as biometrics, a PIN, or a pattern, instead of entering a password.
Microsoft also explains in its passkeys documentation that passkeys use origin-bound public key cryptography and require local user interaction, which helps make passkeys resistant to phishing.
How big is the password problem?
Passwords remain a major weakness because stolen credentials fuel account takeovers. The FIDO Alliance notes in its passkey resource center that passkeys are designed to move users away from passwords, which it says are responsible for 80% of breaches today.
Even if a person uses strong passwords, criminals still use phishing, data breaches, malware, and credential stuffing to break into accounts. Biometrics and passkeys reduce that risk by making account access depend on the trusted device and the person using it.
How does this help someone become safer online?
Using biometrics helps someone become safer online because it makes secure behavior easier. When unlocking a device or approving a login takes a quick fingerprint or face scan, people are less tempted to create weak passwords, reuse old passwords, or stay logged in everywhere.
Biometrics can help protect:
- Banking and payment apps
- Email accounts
- Password managers
- Healthcare portals
- Shopping accounts
- Social media profiles
- Cloud storage
- Work and school apps
- Job-search accounts with personal information
- Devices that store photos, messages, and documents
The FTC’s personal information security guidance recommends protecting online accounts with strong passwords and two-factor authentication because online accounts may contain a lot of personal information.
When should you use biometrics?
Use biometrics anywhere the account or device stores sensitive information. Start with the accounts that would cause the most harm if someone else accessed them.
Best places to enable biometric security
- Phone lock screen: Protect the device that holds texts, email, photos, apps, and payment tools.
- Banking apps: Add biometric approval to reduce unauthorized access.
- Password manager: Make secure passwords easier to use without exposing the master password.
- Payment apps: Require biometric confirmation before sending money.
- Email apps: Protect the inbox that controls password resets.
- Cloud storage: Lock down files, photos, tax documents, and personal records.
- Work apps: Protect business messages and documents on personal devices.
What are the limits of biometrics?
Biometrics are powerful, but they are not magic. You should still use a strong device PIN or password as a backup. If an account supports passkeys, enable them. If an app supports multifactor authentication, use it.
Keep these tips in mind:
- Do not use an easy backup PIN like 1234 or a birthday.
- Do not share your device unlock code.
- Keep your phone and laptop updated.
- Use a password manager for accounts that still require passwords.
- Turn on multifactor authentication for important accounts.
- Remove biometric access for anyone who no longer needs it.
- Lock your device before handing it to someone else.
- Report lost or stolen devices quickly.
CISA’s phishing-resistant MFA fact sheet says multifactor authentication makes it harder for cyber threat actors to gain access when passwords or PINs are compromised, while also noting that phishing-resistant MFA offers stronger protection than some traditional methods.
How to get started with biometrics
Use this quick setup checklist:
- Enable fingerprint or face unlock on your device.
- Create a strong backup PIN or passcode.
- Turn on biometric login for banking and payment apps.
- Enable biometric unlock for your password manager.
- Switch to passkeys when trusted apps and websites offer them.
- Keep multifactor authentication turned on.
- Review device security settings every few months.
Biometrics can make security easier, faster, and stronger than passwords alone. Use fingerprint or face unlock for your device, sensitive apps, password manager, and passkeys whenever available. Then back it up with strong passwords, multifactor authentication, and regular software updates.
