public enum BiometricType

ImplementsComparable<BiometricType>

Enumerates the biometric authentication modalities that may be available on a device. Returned from Biometrics.getAvailableBiometrics().

The set returned at runtime depends on the platform and the user’s enrolled credentials – e.g. an iPhone with Face ID enrolled returns [FACE]; an Android Pixel with a fingerprint and a face enrolled returns [FINGERPRINT, FACE]. Use the list to drive UI affordances (icon, prompt copy) but never to gate the actual authenticate() call: always rely on Biometrics.canAuthenticate() for that decision.

Enum constants

`FINGERPRINT`	Fingerprint sensor (iOS Touch ID, Android `FEATURE_FINGERPRINT`).
`FACE`	Face recognition (iOS Face ID, Android `FEATURE_FACE`).
`IRIS`	Iris recognition (Android `FEATURE_IRIS`).
`STRONG`	Android class-3 / “strong” authenticator tier.
`WEAK`	Android class-2 / “weak” authenticator tier.

Methods

`public static` `BiometricType[] values()`
`public static` `BiometricType valueOf(String name)`

Inherited methods

From Enum

clone, setEnumValues, getEnumValues, valueOf, equals, hashCode, toString, compareTo, name, ordinal, getDeclaringClass

From Object

getClass, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait

Enum constant details

FINGERPRINT

FINGERPRINT

Fingerprint sensor (iOS Touch ID, Android FEATURE_FINGERPRINT). Populated on both platforms when the device has fingerprint hardware AND at least one fingerprint is enrolled.

FACE

FACE

Face recognition (iOS Face ID, Android FEATURE_FACE). Populated on both platforms; on Android 9-10 the OS does not expose face enrolment via the BiometricPrompt API even on devices that have it, so this value only appears on Android API 29+.

IRIS

IRIS

Iris recognition (Android FEATURE_IRIS). Used by a handful of Samsung devices and is not exposed on iOS. Practically rare in 2026 – code that targets it should still treat the absence as the expected case.

STRONG

STRONG

Android class-3 / “strong” authenticator tier. Indicates the device’s available biometric meets Android’s stricter cryptographic requirements (false-acceptance rate < 1/100,000) and can therefore gate Keystore-backed keys created with setUserAuthenticationRequired

a strong-only authenticator policy. Populated only on Android API 30+; iOS has no analogous concept and this value is never returned there. Combine with AuthenticationOptions.setSensitiveTransaction(boolean) to require this tier when guarding sensitive operations.

WEAK

WEAK

Android class-2 / “weak” authenticator tier. Indicates a biometric whose false-acceptance rate is between 1/10,000 and 1/100,000 (typically older fingerprint sensors). It can authenticate the user for UI flows but is NOT permitted to unlock Keystore-bound keys, so weak-only devices cannot use SecureStorage. Populated only on Android API 30+; not returned on iOS.

Method details

values

public static BiometricType[] values()

valueOf

public static BiometricType valueOf(String name)