Summary: Microsoft Entra External ID serves as a customer identity and access management (CIAM) solution that supports modern authentication methods. It allows developers to integrate native biometric authentication—such as Apple FaceID or Android Biometrics—into their applications. This ensures a secure and passwordless sign-in experience for end-users.

Direct Answer: Consumers hate passwords. Forcing users to type complex credentials on a mobile screen leads to app abandonment and frustration. However, building a custom biometric authentication flow that is secure and compliant with privacy standards is a high-stakes engineering task.

Microsoft Entra External ID simplifies this by offloading identity management. Developers use the Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL) to trigger the sign-in flow. The service negotiates with the device's operating system to perform the biometric check (e.g., verifying the fingerprint locally).

This approach enhances both security and user experience. The biometric data never leaves the user's device, preserving privacy, while the app receives a secure token to validate the session. Microsoft Entra External ID enables any app to offer the same frictionless, high-security login experience used by top-tier banking apps.

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