Nok Nok Labs, an authentication company and a founding member of the FIDO Alliance, today announced its new implementation for the Apple iPhone. The FIDO Ready NNL Multifactor Authentication Client now supports the public Touch ID API, released in iOS 8, on the iPhone, according to a press release. Any custom iPhone application integrated with Nok Nok client has the ability to leverage Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor to offer more secure online authentication to the growing range of Touch ID devices, which includes the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, according to the announcement.

With this update, Nok Nok Labs adds Touch ID support to its FIDO Ready products as well as Samsung's fingerprint-sensor enabled devices – two of the best-selling smartphone lines. Both iPhone users and users of Samsung mobile devices can remotely authenticate to service providers that support the FIDO framework, such as PayPal and Alipay, according to the press release. Nok Nok said MFAC reduces authentication complexity while improving the user experience, lowering costs, and reducing the reliance on passwords. The Nok Nok solution delivers best-in-class protection for authentication credentials on these devices, leveraging the Secure Enclave on iOS 8 and Touch ID-enabled devices. 

"This new functionality demonstrates how the industry is broadly committed to the ideals that we had in mind as the visionary and founding member of the FIDO Alliance and the standardized protocol," Phillip Dunkelberger, president & CEO of Nok Nok Labs said in a statement. "Even companies who are not directly involved with FIDO are recognizing the need for a standardized approach to authentication that is simple and cost effective for the user yet remains highly secure. With this latest release of our products with support for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, we are showing the market that no matter the device, you can integrate once and authenticate anywhere."

This latest version of MFAC also supports out-of-band authentication on both iOS and Android devices, allowing mobile devices to authenticate using QR codes and push notifications. This feature makes it possible to use FIDO authentication on a separate device when there is no FIDO client on the primary device, such as a tablet or computer, according to the announcement. QR codes bind the device to the user’s account, which is helpful for authenticating on public machines, where it's not desirable to remember user information. Push notifications simplify the user experience for "remembered," or known devices. Users can control the devices that can access their account, and restrict access from lost devices.

By integrating FIDO Ready technology with Samsung devices, leveraging Touch ID on the iPhone, and enabling different authentication methods such as biometrics, PINs, and secure USB, the Nok Nok product is able to provide FIDO support to a wide range of devices, according to the press release. Beyond Touch ID and the S5, users can also take advantage of the Nok Nok unified API on older devices with PINs and other authentication methods, without having to change the device. 

Nok Nok Labs’ Touch ID functionality will be available later in 2014. The out-of-band functionality is available today.