Block said it plans to use a fingerprint sensor for its much-awaited bitcoin hardware wallet.
The company formerly known as Square is developing hardware crypto wallets, one of many efforts it’s pursuing to make bitcoin more mainstream. Block plans “to achieve seamless authentication” through fingerprint sensors, the company wrote in a blog post. The company said it plans to build a device without a display, a divergence from the hardware design of some rivals like Ledger, whose Nano wallets feature a small OLED screen.
“For transactions that require using the wallet hardware, we want our customers to be able to unlock their wallets securely, but with ease – an unlikely combination that historically has not existed in the market,” said the post. “We believe PINs, passwords, and seed phrases are confusing and often not secure given the workarounds normal people have to create given all the friction.”
Consequently, the wallet won’t have a display since users will have “the ease of placing a finger on the sensor rather than manipulating tiny, failure-prone buttons on a difficult-to-read screen,” as the update puts it. Instead, customers will utilize the mobile app for inputs. Block said it plans to share more on the screen-less experience in a future post.
Still, the firm said it’s aware that some users might want more than a fingerprint standing between a transfer. As Block builds the wallet, it says it will evaluate additional access methods that customers could choose.
The wallet will also be powered by a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery with a USB-C port charger.
