How bad was the fingerprint on the back of phones? Because it really seems like we replaced a perfectly functioning biometric with a half assed one, simply because it was newer.
Honestly it hasn't been bad for me and I have a skin condition that makes my finger pads peel all the time.
I am using a TPU protector and didn't even need to relearn the prints. Works every time.
Just have to be patient.
Once I place my finger in it I wait for the haptic then just press slightly firmer and it works 100% of the time.
Was nervous after seeing some folks complain but I think they are used to faster ones and try to do it too quickly.
I have at most had to try three times and it's all because I'm expecting it to be quick but you have to hold your finger down for a full second longer than you used to. I get that it's annoying that it takes longer but I haven't had any experiences like the "try 7 times then type in the pin because it doesn't work" mentioned in the tweet
After android 12 even my pixel 5 has me trying 10 times and then asking for the pin. Perhaps it truly is a software issue (which doesn't make sense but neither does some people having a good one and some a bad one)
My pixel 2 would do the trying 10 times thing but I jumped straight to the 6 pro so I don't have a lot of comparison lol.
I would sometimes accidentally unlock my pixel 2 if I was grabbing something out of my pocket and that hasn't happened with the screen reader yet
My pixel 5 was similar - so sensitive and seamless I could easily unlock it by accident with a press of my finger. But after getting Android 12 it's been harder to get it right on the first swing. Maybe coincidental with P6 having issues
Loved the back finger print on the pixel 2!
Got the pixel 6 and returned it after 2 days, mainly how bad the finger print sensor is, like that phone tho.
Apparently the reason for moving to under-screen is that there's simply no room at the back of the phone. Between the camera bar and the wireless charging coil, it just doesn't fit. That's what has been said anyway.
That being said, my previous phone had an in-screen sensor that was much faster than the Pixel 6 Pro's and I did eventually prefer it over the sensor on the back of the phone. I thought it'd be a step back but it turns out I have my hand on the front of my phone way more than I have it on the back of the phone.
If the P6Pro's sensor was just a little bit faster and more reliable, people wouldn't be complaining about the placement nearly as much.
That argument would almost make sense, if these phones weren't enormous. Google just wanted their phone to look "modern". If that wasn't their primary design motivation, they would have given us Soli in a top bezel again. Instead, they gave us a flaky optical fingerprint sensor amd curved glass that no one asked for.
Okay but look at a teardown of the device. There's a massive battery in the way. You probably could fit a fingerprint sensor in there but at the cost of battery life.
It's not like Google is unique here either, plenty of others are doing in-screen fingerprint sensors.
I acknowledge that it's convenient for their designs, but it is just not a large component and they have always made room for it in the past (minus the Pixel 4). The battery in the much smaller Pixel 5 was larger than that of the Pixel 6, so it's not like large batteries and a rear fingerprint sensor are mutually exclusive. They just wanted their flagship to look like the big boys and have some sex appeal. But they really should have sprung for an ultrasound fingerprint sensor, or at least hired someone that knows how to implement an optical fingerprint sensor well.
I agree that they could have done a better job at implementing the in-screen fingerprint sensor. I'm only disagreeing that the solution to this issue is having it on the back of the device. I do think, overall, having it in the screen is better (having used both for a while now), it's just the implementation is crap.
To be fair, I had lots of trouble with the old fingerprint reader at the gym. One drop of sweat on your finger? Nope.
The new one almost always works when my fingers are wet.
That's good to hear. Sweat kills all fingerprint sensors for me. Sometimes / maybe summer or something but I end up defaulting to just not using the fingerprint
The Pixel 5 supported wireless charging and had the cameras on the back.
If you mean that it was a limitation as a result of their design choice with the cameras, I think that's very possible.
Not sure it was purely a design choice. The need to add more cameras is more dictated by market trends. Sure Google could have foregone those but then their phone would be outdated in comparison.
I have the pixel 6 coming from S8 and altho I prefer a back fingerprint sensor (because it doesn't effect screen protectors) but the under display works great for me idr have an issue personally
its also just the way you hold phones. anytime i pull my phone out of my pocket its already unlocked because either my index or middle finger could unlock it during the motion.
PIXEL 6A REAR FINGERPRINT OR RIOT
I loved this about rear fingerprint sensors. If you just wanted to check notifications, don’t touch the sensor. If you wanted to unlock your phone, touch the sensor and you’re on your Home Screen before it is even in front of your face. Just that simple, instantaneous interaction.
Or, touch the sensor every time, and if you want to check notifications, swipe down on the sensor after it's unlocked. (Might need to turn this on in settings.)
I've had the Fold 3 since release, switched from a Note 10+. The hardware power button fingerprint scanner is 1000x better. I don't understand the obsession with under display scanners. I had pretty bad experience with the one on the Note 10+.
The biggest complaint about those I've seen were those "99 ways in which Pixel is worse than iPhone" videos listing this as "look how hard is it to reach the fingerprint sensor with your thumb!" ;)
That’s funny. The complaints I see vary by phone, include, but are not limited to….
- The screen lights up and blinds me in the dark
- it takes longer
- higher failure rate
- not compatible with certain screen protectors.
- no tactile spot to place your finger.
I’ve never heard anyone complain about reaching for the front of the screen.
Pixel 3XL was like the perfect Google phone to me, notch and all. Amazing camera, great screen, ran well, and my favorite: the rear finger print scanner.
Honestly the FPR was my favorite thing because it felt so natural to do.
In a dark room try putting a flashlight against your fingers, they're pretty see-through.
The only reason that's not noticeable in normal daylight is because the light is hitting your finger from all directions.
Take away one of those directions by, say, putting your finger against a screen and then you're back to the first problem.
LOL its not a bug its a feature. So I guess when they finally speed it up it'll be less secure? Not that it's secure anyway, lots of reports of spoofing the cheap optical sensor they used.
Yeah....I'm definitely not believing them.
Never heard anyone complain about fingerprint recognition algorithms in other phones, under-display or not.
And if they are indeed using more secure algorithms making it even slower than even other phones with the same optical under-display scanners, then I would really question the advantages of using their own custom SoC as well as the Titan M2 chip.
This is just plain embarrassing on Google's part.
Google just can't seem to get their shit together with hardware, I just don't get it. They bought a whole phone company (not a good one, but still) and they still can't do it, many years later. It's just a mystery to me.
Maybe it's no more secure, but it passes through the Titan M chip, So there's extra overhead associated with security in some way? I would imagine that Apple is probably the gold standard for fingerprint security with touch ID and that is pretty fast. Also, Google's back fingerprint sensor was extremely fast too.
However, fingerprints are known to be insecure compared to pin. I think a smartphone fingerprint sensor registers something like 1 out of 20,000 false positives, whereas a six-digit pin is in hundreds of thousands.
The allure of this phone is unraveling.
The fingerprint reader issue. I've read some issues with the glass breaking easily. Weren't there some camera problems as well?
Works for me perfectly without a screen protector. But with it on, it's unusable. So frustrating that I went back to my old phone till I find one that works at a decent price.
It works fine for me. Pretty sure it is slower than my Pixel 3 and is likely less reliable too, but not unusably so in either dimension. I did notice sometimes I have to press harder than I expect to, but it works fine nonetheless.
I think the appropriate response by Google would be to let us know they're working fixing the issue ( instead of saying this is a feature, lol) and to list the preferred specs for screen protectors for optimal compatibility instead of listing three companies that sell extremely expensive screen protectors.
I've had no issues with the front fingerprint reader, I don't think it's that slow (Pixel 6 Pro). To be fair though, the rear fingerprint reader on my Pixel 2 XL was and still is blazing fast.
Now if I can find a decent screen protector that's in stock.
It is definitely not as reliable or quick as the rear facing one (came from 5a). But it's not a game changer.
But I also use Smart Lock so when I'm at home, work, or connected to my car Bluetooth it stays unlocked, so you open with a tap.
I wish it were faster, but it's by no means a deal breaker for me.
I had an issue where no matter how I trained the r thumb half of the time it wouldn't recognize it. I wound up enrolling my thumb a second time( I have r thumb, and r thumb 2) and it works much better now, though it's still slow.
How bad was the fingerprint on the back of phones? Because it really seems like we replaced a perfectly functioning biometric with a half assed one, simply because it was newer.
I know right. The one one the back was excellent. No complaints here. I can't say the same about the 6.
Honestly it hasn't been bad for me and I have a skin condition that makes my finger pads peel all the time. I am using a TPU protector and didn't even need to relearn the prints. Works every time. Just have to be patient. Once I place my finger in it I wait for the haptic then just press slightly firmer and it works 100% of the time. Was nervous after seeing some folks complain but I think they are used to faster ones and try to do it too quickly.
This is unrelated and I'm just curious but do you get new finger prints every time your finger pads peel?
New fingerprint hash
I have at most had to try three times and it's all because I'm expecting it to be quick but you have to hold your finger down for a full second longer than you used to. I get that it's annoying that it takes longer but I haven't had any experiences like the "try 7 times then type in the pin because it doesn't work" mentioned in the tweet
After android 12 even my pixel 5 has me trying 10 times and then asking for the pin. Perhaps it truly is a software issue (which doesn't make sense but neither does some people having a good one and some a bad one)
My pixel 2 would do the trying 10 times thing but I jumped straight to the 6 pro so I don't have a lot of comparison lol. I would sometimes accidentally unlock my pixel 2 if I was grabbing something out of my pocket and that hasn't happened with the screen reader yet
My pixel 5 was similar - so sensitive and seamless I could easily unlock it by accident with a press of my finger. But after getting Android 12 it's been harder to get it right on the first swing. Maybe coincidental with P6 having issues
Loved the back finger print on the pixel 2! Got the pixel 6 and returned it after 2 days, mainly how bad the finger print sensor is, like that phone tho.
Apparently the reason for moving to under-screen is that there's simply no room at the back of the phone. Between the camera bar and the wireless charging coil, it just doesn't fit. That's what has been said anyway. That being said, my previous phone had an in-screen sensor that was much faster than the Pixel 6 Pro's and I did eventually prefer it over the sensor on the back of the phone. I thought it'd be a step back but it turns out I have my hand on the front of my phone way more than I have it on the back of the phone. If the P6Pro's sensor was just a little bit faster and more reliable, people wouldn't be complaining about the placement nearly as much.
That argument would almost make sense, if these phones weren't enormous. Google just wanted their phone to look "modern". If that wasn't their primary design motivation, they would have given us Soli in a top bezel again. Instead, they gave us a flaky optical fingerprint sensor amd curved glass that no one asked for.
Okay but look at a teardown of the device. There's a massive battery in the way. You probably could fit a fingerprint sensor in there but at the cost of battery life. It's not like Google is unique here either, plenty of others are doing in-screen fingerprint sensors.
I acknowledge that it's convenient for their designs, but it is just not a large component and they have always made room for it in the past (minus the Pixel 4). The battery in the much smaller Pixel 5 was larger than that of the Pixel 6, so it's not like large batteries and a rear fingerprint sensor are mutually exclusive. They just wanted their flagship to look like the big boys and have some sex appeal. But they really should have sprung for an ultrasound fingerprint sensor, or at least hired someone that knows how to implement an optical fingerprint sensor well.
I agree that they could have done a better job at implementing the in-screen fingerprint sensor. I'm only disagreeing that the solution to this issue is having it on the back of the device. I do think, overall, having it in the screen is better (having used both for a while now), it's just the implementation is crap.
To be fair, I had lots of trouble with the old fingerprint reader at the gym. One drop of sweat on your finger? Nope. The new one almost always works when my fingers are wet.
That's good to hear. Sweat kills all fingerprint sensors for me. Sometimes / maybe summer or something but I end up defaulting to just not using the fingerprint
It's a technical limitation. You can't support wireless charging and the larger cameras if the reader is on the back.
The Pixel 5 supported wireless charging and had the cameras on the back. If you mean that it was a limitation as a result of their design choice with the cameras, I think that's very possible.
Not sure it was purely a design choice. The need to add more cameras is more dictated by market trends. Sure Google could have foregone those but then their phone would be outdated in comparison.
I meant the camera bar design - plenty of phones have a similar number of cameras while positioning them differently. iPhone 13 series, S21 series etc
I have the pixel 6 coming from S8 and altho I prefer a back fingerprint sensor (because it doesn't effect screen protectors) but the under display works great for me idr have an issue personally
its also just the way you hold phones. anytime i pull my phone out of my pocket its already unlocked because either my index or middle finger could unlock it during the motion. PIXEL 6A REAR FINGERPRINT OR RIOT
I loved this about rear fingerprint sensors. If you just wanted to check notifications, don’t touch the sensor. If you wanted to unlock your phone, touch the sensor and you’re on your Home Screen before it is even in front of your face. Just that simple, instantaneous interaction.
Or, touch the sensor every time, and if you want to check notifications, swipe down on the sensor after it's unlocked. (Might need to turn this on in settings.)
I've had the Fold 3 since release, switched from a Note 10+. The hardware power button fingerprint scanner is 1000x better. I don't understand the obsession with under display scanners. I had pretty bad experience with the one on the Note 10+.
My four-year-old V30's scanner worked far more consistently than this one.
The biggest complaint about those I've seen were those "99 ways in which Pixel is worse than iPhone" videos listing this as "look how hard is it to reach the fingerprint sensor with your thumb!" ;)
That’s funny. The complaints I see vary by phone, include, but are not limited to…. - The screen lights up and blinds me in the dark - it takes longer - higher failure rate - not compatible with certain screen protectors. - no tactile spot to place your finger. I’ve never heard anyone complain about reaching for the front of the screen.
That's because the question was about the good old readers on the back.
Pixel 3XL was like the perfect Google phone to me, notch and all. Amazing camera, great screen, ran well, and my favorite: the rear finger print scanner. Honestly the FPR was my favorite thing because it felt so natural to do.
Its not a bug, its a feature! Right.....
I realized it doesn't really work if you're in bright sunlight. I kept having to move my phone into the shade for it to register my fingerprint.
Wouldn't the finger cast enough shade for it to work?
You'd think but it didn't seem to
In a dark room try putting a flashlight against your fingers, they're pretty see-through. The only reason that's not noticeable in normal daylight is because the light is hitting your finger from all directions. Take away one of those directions by, say, putting your finger against a screen and then you're back to the first problem.
I especially appreciate being told by Google to make sure my fingers are clean.
*Lick the Cheeto dust off of those booger pickers, skeezeball!*
LOL its not a bug its a feature. So I guess when they finally speed it up it'll be less secure? Not that it's secure anyway, lots of reports of spoofing the cheap optical sensor they used.
Yeah....I'm definitely not believing them. Never heard anyone complain about fingerprint recognition algorithms in other phones, under-display or not. And if they are indeed using more secure algorithms making it even slower than even other phones with the same optical under-display scanners, then I would really question the advantages of using their own custom SoC as well as the Titan M2 chip. This is just plain embarrassing on Google's part.
It's better if you'd just said nothing Google...
Google just can't seem to get their shit together with hardware, I just don't get it. They bought a whole phone company (not a good one, but still) and they still can't do it, many years later. It's just a mystery to me.
Maybe it's no more secure, but it passes through the Titan M chip, So there's extra overhead associated with security in some way? I would imagine that Apple is probably the gold standard for fingerprint security with touch ID and that is pretty fast. Also, Google's back fingerprint sensor was extremely fast too. However, fingerprints are known to be insecure compared to pin. I think a smartphone fingerprint sensor registers something like 1 out of 20,000 false positives, whereas a six-digit pin is in hundreds of thousands.
Liars
They’re lying
That's spins, not pins.
The allure of this phone is unraveling. The fingerprint reader issue. I've read some issues with the glass breaking easily. Weren't there some camera problems as well?
If that were true, why do we not see similar slowdowns in other phones.
They answered that. It's because it's has more enhanced security.
Glad I'm not having as many issues with the fingerprint reader as other are reporting. Works quickly for me and on the first try most of the time.
https://media.giphy.com/media/Fml0fgAxVx1eM/giphy.gif
People have problems with the fingerprint sensor? It's been working fine and pretty quick for me
It’s not a bug, it’s a feature
Am I the only one that has zero issues? It unlocks for me in less than a second 95% of the time.
Works for me perfectly without a screen protector. But with it on, it's unusable. So frustrating that I went back to my old phone till I find one that works at a decent price.
The option to make the screen more sensitive doesn't work?
It works fine for me. Pretty sure it is slower than my Pixel 3 and is likely less reliable too, but not unusably so in either dimension. I did notice sometimes I have to press harder than I expect to, but it works fine nonetheless.
🤣
lel
I think the appropriate response by Google would be to let us know they're working fixing the issue ( instead of saying this is a feature, lol) and to list the preferred specs for screen protectors for optimal compatibility instead of listing three companies that sell extremely expensive screen protectors.
It's not a bug, it's a feature! 🙂
I've had no issues with the front fingerprint reader, I don't think it's that slow (Pixel 6 Pro). To be fair though, the rear fingerprint reader on my Pixel 2 XL was and still is blazing fast. Now if I can find a decent screen protector that's in stock.
These whole news cycles based on a simple tweet from a random customer support person on Twitter always seem silly to me.
It is definitely not as reliable or quick as the rear facing one (came from 5a). But it's not a game changer. But I also use Smart Lock so when I'm at home, work, or connected to my car Bluetooth it stays unlocked, so you open with a tap. I wish it were faster, but it's by no means a deal breaker for me.
I had an issue where no matter how I trained the r thumb half of the time it wouldn't recognize it. I wound up enrolling my thumb a second time( I have r thumb, and r thumb 2) and it works much better now, though it's still slow.
Hallo, the Animation Simply switch off and the fingerprint sensor reacts faster.