Enable Firebase Authentication Pre-PIN Entry on Android Devices (Android direct boot aware SDK)
Background:
Our application relies heavily on Firebase Authentication for seamless user experiences and data synchronization. However, we have encountered a significant limitation when the Android lock screen PIN is enabled. After a device reboot, Firebase Authentication becomes inaccessible until the user enters the PIN. This restriction disrupts our ability to interface with Firebase services immediately upon reboot.
Issue:
In discussions with Google, it was clarified that Firebase Authentication support is not available until the PIN is entered. This limitation impacts all our major customers who have enabled the Android lock screen PIN, causing operational delays and affecting user satisfaction.
Request:
We propose an enhancement to the Firebase Android SDK to enable Firebase Authentication functionality even before the user enters the PIN on reboot. This feature is urgently needed to ensure continuous authentication and access to Firebase services such as Firestore.
Benefits:
Continuous Access: This feature would allow our application to maintain uninterrupted access to Firebase, ensuring seamless user experiences and reliable data synchronization.
Improved Reporting: It would facilitate real-time reporting to the cloud and enable monitoring of database changes without waiting for PIN entry.
Consistent Ecosystem: By implementing this feature, we can avoid seeking alternative solutions, maintaining our reliance on Firebase’s robust ecosystem.
Impact:
The implementation of this feature will significantly enhance the usability of Firebase for applications that depend on authentication and data synchronization, especially in environments where security measures like PIN are essential.
We believe this enhancement will greatly benefit developers and users alike, and we appreciate your consideration of this request.
Thank you for your attention and support.
Kanagal Raj
shared this idea
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Karthikeyan Mahadevan commented
My use case requires the functionality to be available before the user login.
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Chuck Bolen commented
The direct boot mode and ability for application to be direct boot aware has been a feature of Android for several years already. Given both Android and Firebase are Google developed, I am very surprised it has taken this long for Firebase team to implement this critical feature.
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Android Application by niraj commented
Good Idea
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DEERAM commented
Firebase lacks this feature.
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Kanagal Raj commented
I am really excited to see this feature in Google Firbase,
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Kanagal Raj commented
Without this feature, its blocking me to implement my full solution
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Tharindu Weligodapola commented
Enterprise Mobile Computer solutions require to run applications at direct boot mode and should be able to communicate with the Firestore database to full fill critical customer user cases. Some of the solutions provides lossing devices from the customer due to theft. Supporting the firebase authentication on Direct Boot mode will opens up veriety of enterprise solutions.
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Vinay Shivaprakash commented
This is very critical for real time application like Device tracker
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Chhabi Thakur commented
Yeah this is critical to support early access to database and we have lot of enterprise use cases where sandbox data needs to be accessed while device boot up.
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Chandan Kumar Mishra commented
Enabling Firebase Authentication before the PIN entry on Android devices can significantly benefit enterprise use cases, particularly when data synchronization is crucial for executing certain actions on the device. This is especially relevant in EMM scenarios, where users have not unlocked the device after a reboot.
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Yong Wang commented
Supporting this feature would greatly improve reliability for users.
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Nilmoni Chakrabarty commented
This is critical to serve the business use case for my application.
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This feature is critical for my solution to utilize the Firebase Authentication