Prior to Samsung Galaxy S9's launch on Feb. 25, a day before the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 commences, XDA Developers Senior Member Maxwell Weinbach discovered that the upcoming phone may be equipped with an advanced biometric system feature called "Intelligent Scan," a set of three-dimensional (3D) stickers and an automatic tagging option.
In a report by XDA, Weinbach did an Android Package Kit (APK) teardown of the Settings app of the unreleased Android Oreo beta version for Samsung's latest phone, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, where he discovered the Intelligent Scan feature that does not yet exist in any phones at the moment.
According to the strings he posted about the new feature, Intelligent Scan is a new advanced biometric system that combines iris scanning and facial recognition. The new feature may be used by registering one's irises and face to unlock and verify one's identity in supported applications. Intelligent Scan is also capable of recognizing irises and faces in either low or very bright light. Weinbach posted a video about this Intelligent Scan ability.
However, the code also warned about the possibility of someone who looks exactly like the phone's owner (an identical twin, perhaps) being recognized as the owner and in turn, unlocking the phone. The code suggested one should use the Intelligent Scan feature alongside the traditional pattern, pin or password for extra security. If the Intelligent Scan turns out to be true, this feature will be an upgrade from iPhone X's Face ID that uses facial recognition alone.
Weinbach also posted the strings regarding the upcoming phone's 3D stickers. The strings revealed that S9 will have stickers that have depth control. These stickers may be used alongside taken photos. This feature is reminiscent of Snapchat's 3D stickers. The strings also revealed that S9 may possibly have an automatic tagging option which will allow the new photos taken to be tagged with the geographical location as well as the weather information when the photo was taken.
At the moment, these new features are still considered rumors. The official reveal of the Samsung Galaxy S9's features will take place during the mobile phone's launch on Feb. 25.
