05
Nov
Samsung will fix a nasty bug that has caused problems with the fingerprint sensor on the company’s Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10, according to a new report.
The tech giant will fix a flaw that duped the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10’s ultrasonic fingerprint sensor to believe any fingerprint was authorized when they were being protected by a silicone gel screen protectors, according to SamMobile, which may have received the information from Reuters.
Earlier this week, a report in the British tabloid newspaper The Sun said that a Samsung Galaxy S10 owner found that if she used a third-party silicone gel screen protector, then any fingerprint could fool the onboard sensor and unlock the device.
Reuters cited Samsung’s consumer-support app in stating that if a user were to register a fingerprint with a third-party silicon-gel screen protector on, then the ultrasonic sensor inside the smartphone might include a transparent pattern on the screen protector with the fingerprint data, creating a scenario in which any fingerprint would like the real deal as long as the screen protector was on.
According to reports, standard plastic screen protectors work just fine with the ultrasonic sensor and until it has a fix. Samsung told The Sun in the original report that it encourages users to only employ its official hard plastic protectors instead of the gel alternatives.
The trouble started earlier this year, when users quickly discovered that tempered-glass screen protectors wouldn’t work with Samsung’s Galaxy S10 devices. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor couldn’t work its way through the tempered-glass screen protector and read fingerprints, prompting users to opt for alternatives, such as plastic and gel.
Samsung didn’t say exactly what the problem is, but Reuters said the problem can apparently be fixed with some sort of software update. There was no word on when the software update might be available.
Until then, remove any gel screen protectors and use a plastic alternative that will still keep the device safe without allowing anyone to access your data.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/samsung-admits-to-big-galaxy-s10-fingerprint-flaw
