Just ignore this.

The major downside of biometrics is that if you get caught, they can force your finger on the phone or force you to look at the front camera.

Smartphones are the biggest spyware. I prefer to lick my elbow before storing sensitive data in these devices or using it with banking or medical apps.

There is hardware level security used to perform the authentication and holds your biometric data locally. If you get a new phone, you have to re-add your fingerprints. Assuming the hardware security is impenetrable by software, it’s safe.

But that’s not an assumption we can make any more; the security landscape is very dynamic right now. You cannot be too careful.

We all live with constant risk of whose good reputation will be squandered next for a price. Or that AI will revolutionize hacking. Or that quantum computing will break the security. Or that [insert exporting nation here] modified the chip before it shipped for assembly, circumventing the manufacturers entirely. Never mind all the political factors!

Admittedly, I don’t go about my life considering any of this, but I’m not a big privacy hawk either. I gave most of my personal data away as a kid and I go about my life assuming it’s already out there. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose, at least so far fingers crossed

That wasn’t a question.

Temporary workaround — close Play store, turn off data & wifi, open Play store and then connect to network.

Don’t give anything to Google.