Smartphone fingerprint tech could replace passwords The Galaxy S4, like Apple's iPhone, has voice recognition software but at present it cannot identify a particular person. In future, it's possible that a smartphone could recognise its owner's voice and unlock accordingly. Many companies are hoping that these security features could soon be used in place of passwords for websites and mobile applications. Instead of having to remember complicated passwords, fingerprint identification would be quicker, easier and more secure. Earlier this year, in a paper in an engineering journal, two Google security experts outlined plans for an ID ring or smartphone chip that could replace online passwords. "We'd like your smartphone or smartcard-embedded finger ring to authorize a new computer via a tap on the computer, even in situations in which your phone might be without cellular connectivity," wrote Eric Grosse, Google's vice president of security, and engineer Mayank Upadhyay.