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Make your Galaxy fingerprint scanner unlock faster as Samsung fixes what One UI 6.1 broke

Published: Apr 12, 2024, 9:54 AM

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Make your Galaxy fingerprint scanner unlock faster as Samsung fixes what One UI 6.1 broke

We at PhoneArena have done many a test and rant about the type of fingerprint scanners that Samsung uses to unlock its Galaxy phones. That is why we were pleasantly surprised when we found out that the Galaxy S24 has landed with a fast and unobtrusive scanner, in contrast to previous editions of the Galaxy S-line of high-end Android handsets.

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According to our long-term Galaxy S24 review, the phone's fingerprint reader is a marked improvement over its predecessors, and we collectively agree how important that is:

I also wanted to mention a few other things that stood out to me. The first one is the fingerprint scanner. It’s so much faster compared to older Galaxy phones! This is something subtle, but ultimately, it makes a big difference in real life use.

Samsung and the finger scanner

Good enough is not an option

Samsung has more complex finger scanning tech in store

Ever since it started using in-display fingerprint readers, Samsung has been equipping its Galaxy phones with previous generations of the technology. The Galaxy S10, Galaxy S20, and Note 20 all featured the same first-gen ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that actually got some banking apps to blacklist the S10 when it appeared that people could unlock it using flexible gel screen protectors.

Samsung upgraded the scanner to Qualcomm's 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2 in the S21 series, but still didn't jump on the latest 3D Sonic Max fingerprint craze at the time. This caused various issues with using the scanner under screen protector, and slow reaction in general compared to solutions that the competition had already deployed.

In the Galaxy S24 series, we appear to have a new reader module that makes unlocking and authorizing faster and more accurate.

With the latest One UI 6.1 update, however, Samsung managed to break even the fragile usability of its fingerprint scanners prior to the one on the current Galaxy S24 crop. People complained on its community forum that the scanner on their Galaxy S23 has been rendered inoperable by Samsung's latest overlay coming with Android 14. Samsung has acknowledged the issue and promised a fix:

We apologize for any inconvenience caused when using the device. We have confirmed that in some cases, fingerprint recognition on the lock screen does not work properly, or a notification window appears.

While those who thought they are imagining things, or that it's only their Galaxy acting up, let out a sigh of relief, the relative speed and accuracy of their Galaxy S23 and prior finger scanners won't change with the update fix.

Samsung's finger scanners can unlock faster

Tips & tricks

Back when the Galaxy S24 rumors were still swirling around, one claimed that Samsung will seemingly be deploying a new fingerprint reader for the series. While the Galaxy S23 Ultra, for instance, uses the QBT2608 chip, an S24 Ultra teardown indicated a new QFS4008 module, though still in Qualcomm's 3D Sonic Gen 2 series.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra fingerprint scanner

The scanner is still with the same 8 x 8 mm size, though, so any general advice how to improve fingerprint scanning accuracy on a Samsung Galaxy S23 phone would go for the S24 as well, despite that it feels speedier and more accurate.

A few years of trial and error have now shown how to make a display fingerprint scanner faster and more accurate when unlocking a phone or authorizing purchases:

Press your thumb not as shown on the tutorial picture, but at an angle, the way you would actually use it to unlock the phone with your fingerprint.
Enroll your main unlocking digit more than one time as separate fingers, at least 3–4 times.
Try to cover all careless positioning angles and edge scenarios.
Enroll your other thumb at least once at the angles it will be placed on the screen with.

This way you'd give the fingerprint scanning software way more chances to recognize the unlocking digit quicker no matter how awkward it is placed on the screen, or how gentle the tap is. Using the fingerprint scanner through a screen protector would also benefit from the increased speed and accuracy of the recognition.

Despite these hoops, Samsung is gradually improving its display fingerprint scanners, and the one on the Galaxy S24 series is almost there. It also has other fingerprint sensing tricks up its sleeve, detailed at the 15:20 mark here.

Samsung may even be readying a big Galaxy S25 surprise in that regard by employing OLED 2.0 that would allow usher in a 2.5 billion times more secure scanner.

Until then, however, we'd have to deal with the limited fingerprint scanning space on current Galaxies and could benefit from a faster and more accurate reading by enrolling the unlocking digits more than one time as separate fingers.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.