Android @lemdro.id spacedogroy @feddit.uk 2y ago

Has anyone had any luck with the Google Pixel 7A fingerprint sensor?

I've moved from the Google Pixel 4A, which had an excellent fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, to the 7A.

I won't sugarcoat it: in my experience the fingerprint sensor, now an optical sensor on the front of the phone, is near useless. It fails to read my finger/thumb print basically ~95% of the time, which means it can't be used for any account that may lock the user out following 'x' unsuccessful login attempts.

I really don't get why they shipped the feature with the phone given how unacceptably bad it is to use.

Is this a common opinion shared amongst 7A users? Is there something wrong with my phone, or am I missing something? I'd welcome any advice, as I would quite like to get this working reliably.

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34 comments

Are you using a screen protector? A lot of them make the fingerprint reader unusable.
- I am actually, yes, and to be fair I'd not considered this. 🤔 I guess if it's the difference between having a scratched screen or a working fingerprint reader, I'd go with the former.
  
  During the time I used a phone with an under-screen fingerprint sensor (Galaxy A70), there were three things I've learned:
  
  After applying or removing a screen protector, it's important to rescan all fingerprints.
  
  There may be an option in the settings where you can set whether you have a screen protector applied.
  
  You can scan the same finger twice to improve success rate.
  
  Though even with all that, a real fingerprint sensor is still better than an optical one.
  
  Just to add to this, in the 7A settings menu there is an option to increase sensitivity. Go to Settings > Display > Screen protector mode and toggle the option on.
  
  In my initial tests this has noticeably improved the accuracy of the sensor but I need to give it a bit more time before saying for sure.
  
  Not the person you replied to, but I think I've heard that some screen protectors are meant for the under display fingerprint reader, but I have no experience myself. Might be worth looking into.
  
  Personally I really don't know why everyone keeps putting them under the display now. Its more expensive, more involved and expensive to repair, and less reliable... Why would I want that? It feels like a meaningless "shiny" feature to put on the box.
  
  I found fingerprint compatible screen protectors for my 6 Pro, no reason you shouldn't be able to do the same

34 comments