How To Setup Your Fingerprint For Better Recognition On Your Nexus
1) Settings > Security > Nexus Imprint > Delete every fingerprint that you have registered
2) Now, put your phone in your pocket, or in your purse, or wherever you normally keep it. Pick it up and go to unlock it with your finger. Pay attention to how you are holding the phone in your hand, and keep your finger pressed solidly on the scanner. Now, go ahead and add a new finger this way.
3) Once it has scanned your finger initially, move your finger around, attempting to ‘scan’ every part of your finger that you naturally reach while holding your phone in your hand the way your normally do.
4) Now, add a 2nd finger, and do the same thing with your other hand.
5) While at the screen that shows you your registered fingers, go ahead and put the phone in both hands and test it out. keep trying to press it; it will buzz and show you that it worked, or it will double-buzz if it didn’t. If you are getting a lot of double-buzzes, delete the finger that isn’t working, and redo steps 2&3.
---The key here is that when you are registering your fingerprints, THAT YOU HOLD THE PHONE IN YOUR HAND LIKE YOU WILL HOLD IN WHEN YOU ARE USING IT / UNLOCKING IT.---
If you've got other suggestions, please add them below, and I will incorporate them into the OP!
Since the iPhone 5s, I've always registered each fingerprint I'm going to be using at least twice. Seems to decrease the number of failed scans.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
I would like to use fingerprint as my primary way of unlocking, but sometimes (when your phone's on the table for example) the fingerprint scanner is just a bit awkwardly placed for my finger. Problem is: the Sony lock screen only allows pin code as a secondary way of unlocking, where I would really like to use pattern. Does anyone know of a way or third party app that would make this possible? Thanks!
No clue about an app but I thought another fingerprint while the phone was laying on the table (basically using the tip of my finger) so that I can unlock it without picking the phone up.
The sensor doesn't care where you finger is pointing, it just records the pattern and compares to that later.
I'd expect an Xposed module that allows you to bypass this limitation to surface sooner or later, but it will probably take a developer getting annoyed by it before that happens.
Anyone else notice lift to wake sometimes doesn't work? Sometimes it's fine, other times there's a few second delay, other times I can shake the phone after picking it up and nothing then it finally comes on. Googling shows intermittent reports over the last year or two of similar symptoms on the 2 and 2 XL.
Also, double tap sometimes does nothing. Tapping again usually works. Sometimes it works fine several times in a row, then fails again.
Lastly, I have fingerprint lock enabled. If lift to wake works, and double tap gets me to the lock screen sometimes I can swipe up and get the home screen. Other times it forces me to use my fingerprint.
Quite a bit of flakiness in this whole area. Things appear to be working fine once I'm in, but getting there is quite inconsistent.
I did contact support, tried various things they suggested including booting into safe mode, but didn't fix it. They're supposed to get back to me...
samnada said:
Also, double tap sometimes does nothing. Tapping again usually works. Sometimes it works fine several times in a row, then fails again.
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Click to collapse
Definitely noticed this on my 3XL. It's like it doze's a little too hard or something. Usually doesn't react properly after long periods of inactivity. Same with FP on my P3. But sometimes the FP is fine, like you say it's flaky and inconsistent. Maybe something that will be tuned a little better in an update or with a custom kernel in the not to distant future....
Chronzy said:
Definitely noticed this on my 3XL. It's like it doze's a little too hard or something. Usually doesn't react properly after long periods of inactivity. Same with FP on my P3. But sometimes the FP is fine, like you say it's flaky and inconsistent. Maybe something that will be tuned a little better in an update or with a custom kernel in the not to distant future....
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Click to collapse
Couple of things.
I ended up disabling FP and then setting it up again and since then the FP detection has been much more consistent. Maybe sometimes the process for the initial FP scan isn't very good and that might cause the security scans after that to be inconsistent. Just a guess. Anyway, resetting it might help.
Also, the comment I made about sometimes I can just swipe on the lock screen and not have to use FP was due to having "Smart Lock" enabled. It's a bit confusing (at least to me) in the Settings screens. Under Security > Advanced > Trusted Agents > Smart Lock can be turned off. I did that and now it always requires my FP.
One more thing. The swipe on the FP scanner to bring down the notification panel is very flaky for me. Works only about 50% of the time at most. Also went over that with support. Waiting for them to get back to me on that one as well.
samnada said:
Couple of things.
I ended up disabling FP and then setting it up again and since then the FP detection has been much more consistent. Maybe sometimes the process for the initial FP scan isn't very good and that might cause the security scans after that to be inconsistent. Just a guess. Anyway, resetting it might help.
Also, the comment I made about sometimes I can just swipe on the lock screen and not have to use FP was due to having "Smart Lock" enabled. It's a bit confusing (at least to me) in the Settings screens. Under Security > Advanced > Trusted Agents > Smart Lock can be turned off. I did that and now it always requires my FP.
One more thing. The swipe on the FP scanner to bring down the notification panel is very flaky for me. Works only about 50% of the time at most. Also went over that with support. Waiting for them to get back to me on that one as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of the stuff you experienced is standard operation for phone's with Double tap to wake, lift to wake, etc. Those features just kinda go to sleep after a while. And yes, smart lock keeps you logged in during certain situations that you specify. Welcome to Team Pixel!
Don't use a lot of those features, but some OT thoughts..
I think there is some FP lag if you have lift-to-check enabled because it's 'lifting-to-check' while i'm hitting the FP. I disabled lift to check and i'll see if the FP's a little snappier.
Always helps to redo the FP after you change a case too- I usually do 2x on each index finger.
PuffDaddy_d said:
Most of the stuff you experienced is standard operation for phone's with Double tap to wake, lift to wake, etc. Those features just kinda go to sleep after a while. And yes, smart lock keeps you logged in during certain situations that you specify. Welcome to Team Pixel!
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Click to collapse
Every phone I've had has quirks. It is a bit disappointing a useful feature like lift to wake, especially with no notification LED, has been flaky for so long it's now accepted behavior. I tried a location smart lock feature on my previous Samsung and quickly abandoned it as unreliable as well. What seems odd and a bit confusing is the Smart Lock on/off switch is in a totally different place than where you set up the specific settings, some of which get added by default. Really like the phone, just a bit of acclimation.
Do you have your battery saver on? I found that after I turned off my battery saver it worked
oneeyeddie said:
Do you have your battery saver on? I found that after I turned off my battery saver it worked
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I had battery saver on. I've turned it off for now to see if that helps and how much extra battery gets used. Thanks for the suggestion.
Update: That didn't take long. Lift to wake is still flaky. Works sometimes, other times not.
I've noticed the same. I use smart lock with a Garmin watch. On my Nexus 6 it always worked, and if I didn't have my watch on, when I swiped the screen it would ask for a PIN. Now, I lift or double tap and sometimes it will then let my swipe the screen, but most often I have to hit the power key. This is not an improvement.
Can't believe no one has figured this out. It has to do with the lock to sleep delay. By default it is set to 5 seconds. So, madly tapping won't work. Go into settings and change the timing. Be amazed.
The simple user experience of unlocking the device on is so bad on Pixel 6. There's just no winning option.
Smart Lock randomly kicks in, so I can't be sure that a single tap of the screen will turn on the phone.
The fingerprint sensor sucks, and requires a tap on the screen just to bring it up. And sometimes I don't even get the option to use my fingerprint.
I don't even like the single-tap gesture to begin with. It means I'm accidentally turning my screen on all the time just when carrying the phone. It almost started a call with my deadbeat father, who I haven't talked to in 20 years
I could go with no screen lock but then I'm locked out of several key features (like viewing my account passwords). Also, pressing the Power button at all on a phone this big is cumbersome, since I then have to reposition my entire hand to go from pressing it to then interacting with the screen.
I'm already rooted because I absolutely needed the Back button to be on the right side. Now I'm hoping modders can fix the unlocking experience because it's the next big issue in my mind.
The fingerprint scanner is actually very good if you set it up right, and will always be displayed with always on display... No tap required. Problem solved
turbosrrgood said:
The fingerprint scanner is actually very good if you set it up right, and will always be displayed with always on display... No tap required. Problem solved
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Click to collapse
Or lift to check turned on rather than AOD.
turbosrrgood said:
...and will always be displayed with always on display... No tap required. Problem solved
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Click to collapse
This is not my experience at all. Sometimes I get a fingerprint sensor icon. Other times my phone is unlocked via Smart Lock and I get an Unlock icon in place of the fingerprint sensor. Other times I get a Lock icon indicating Smart Lock is expired. Other times I get no icon there at all.
If the fingerprint sensor is there and I'm on the dimmed screen, sometimes it'll just light up and deny, and other times it won't even acknowledge that I've put my finger on the sensor.
If the Unlock icon is there, it requires a tap to unlock (no holding!). So that means I have to actually look at the screen and discern which icon is there to know whether I need to tap or hold.
And Lift to Check Phone would be even more problematic for me, since I'm trying to avoid accidental screen interactions and this would only cause more.
On all my other Pixel phones I just touch the back fingerprint sensor and the phone is on. I don't have to think about a dozen different possible states the phone could be in every time I want to turn it on.
Have you tried to recalibrate it via the Pixel tool thing Google has?
Google Pixel - Update and Software Repair
gavingt said:
The simple user experience of unlocking the device on is so bad on Pixel 6. There's just no winning option.
Smart Lock randomly kicks in, so I can't be sure that a single tap of the screen will turn on the phone.
The fingerprint sensor sucks, and requires a tap on the screen just to bring it up. And sometimes I don't even get the option to use my fingerprint.
I don't even like the single-tap gesture to begin with. It means I'm accidentally turning my screen on all the time just when carrying the phone. It almost started a call with my deadbeat father, who I haven't talked to in 20 years
I could go with no screen lock but then I'm locked out of several key features (like viewing my account passwords). Also, pressing the Power button at all on a phone this big is cumbersome, since I then have to reposition my entire hand to go from pressing it to then interacting with the screen.
I'm already rooted because I absolutely needed the Back button to be on the right side. Now I'm hoping modders can fix the unlocking experience because it's the next big issue in my mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sounds like smartlock working as intended (which I find useless, and poor security). It will give you an unlock icon instead of the fingerprint. Maybe you simply don't want smart unlock, which is more useful for password only. This seems like more of a matter of figuring out what features you want to use.
If you changed the Animation Scale in Developer Settings then the AOD fingerprint icon can disappear.
turbosrrgood said:
It sounds like smartlock working as intended (which I find useless, and poor security). It will give you an unlock icon instead of the fingerprint. Maybe you simply don't want smart unlock, which is more useful for password only. This seems like more of a matter of figuring out what features you want to use.
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Click to collapse
I never used to use Smart Lock, but on this phone it means I don't have to deal with the inconsistent fingerprint sensor as often.
gavingt said:
I never used to use Smart Lock, but on this phone it means I don't have to deal with the inconsistent fingerprint sensor as often.
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Click to collapse
Try setting up the fingerprint scanner again, slightly moving your finger with ever press during set up to get every angle and view of the print. It's been pretty much perfect for me. I suppose Google could have helped instruct people to do that better in the process.
turbosrrgood said:
It sounds like smartlock working as intended (which I find useless, and poor security). It will give you an unlock icon instead of the fingerprint. Maybe you simply don't want smart unlock, which is more useful for password only. This seems like more of a matter of figuring out what features you want to use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just restarted my phone, and then repeatedly unlocked and locked it (sometimes by fingerprint, sometimes by tapping). By the end of the video, the fingerprint sensor icon disappeared completely and wouldn't come back until after another restart:
Streamable Video
Watch this video on Streamable.
streamable.com
This is just one example of the inconsistencies. I haven't changed the animation settings either.
I did see it happen a couple of times in your stream. I don't recall seeing that on mine, but I haven't been looking for it. The only other thing I can suggest is make sure you have the latest updates and/or factory reset.
Edit - I tried to replicate your stream, and the sensor showed in all 30 attempts for me. For whatever it's worth, so might be something specific to your device, maybe settings or software issue
turbosrrgood said:
I did see it happen a couple of times in your stream. I don't recall seeing that on mine, but I haven't been looking for it. The only other thing I can suggest is make sure you have the latest updates and/or factory reset.
Edit - I tried to replicate your stream, and the sensor showed in all 30 attempts for me. For whatever it's worth, so might be something specific to your device, maybe settings or software issue
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be a bug related to my specific settings:
Rooted device, still on the October update
Lock after screen timeout: 30 minutes
Power button locks instantly: Off
gavingt said:
I just restarted my phone, and then repeatedly unlocked and locked it (sometimes by fingerprint, sometimes by tapping). By the end of the video, the fingerprint sensor icon disappeared completely and wouldn't come back until after another restart:
Streamable Video
Watch this video on Streamable.
streamable.com
This is just one example of the inconsistencies. I haven't changed the animation settings either.
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Click to collapse
what are you going on about lol. this is the kind of nonsense that is so irritating. you had 100% success rate unlocking your phone. what's the problem. looks to me like it works. so what's the big deal. and then you have the gall to complain that the sensor icon disappeared after you repeatedly locked and unlocked your phone? yea. try starting your car repeatedly. see what happens with the engine.
kramer987 said:
what are you going on about lol. this is the kind of nonsense that is so irritating. you had 100% success rate unlocking your phone. what's the problem. looks to me like it works. so what's the big deal. and then you have the gall to complain that the sensor icon disappeared after you repeatedly locked and unlocked your phone? yea. try starting your car repeatedly. see what happens with the engine.
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Click to collapse
Sure, ignore my multiple posts on the subject. It's not nonsense. I have no idea why you're trying to minimize this, and why you feel the need to be so combative.
gavingt said:
I'm already rooted because I absolutely needed the Back button to be on the right side.
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Click to collapse
You know gesture navigation is a thing now right? Back buttons are so "last decade".
sic0048 said:
You know gesture navigation is a thing now right? Back buttons are so "last decade".
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Yes, I know and I hate it. It's extra motion that tires out my hand and I often trigger the gestures when I don't mean to.
gavingt said:
Sure, ignore my multiple posts on the subject. It's not nonsense. I have no idea why you're trying to minimize this, and why you feel the need to be so combative.
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Click to collapse
i will just apologize and go on with my day. good luck with the phone.
I went ahead and updated to the November firmware, and wiped my data as well. Now my phone won't show the fingerprint sensor while unlocking under any circumstances. I also found an interesting bug wherein I'm still able to turn my screen on by tapping it repeatedly even with "Tap to check phone" disabled:
screen-20211102-164842[1]
Watch "screen-20211102-164842[1]" on Streamable.
streamable.com
EDIT: And, of course, as I was typing this the fingerprint sensor just magically came back. And it still doesn't work unless I tap the dimmed screen to wake it first. Watch as it straight up ignores my finger the first time:
screen-20211102-171057[1]
Watch "screen-20211102-171057[1]" on Streamable.
streamable.com
I can recreate this 100% of the time by just setting my phone down for a second and picking it back up, then trying to unlock it. And you can't see it in the video, but the sensor doesn't even light up the first time I touch it. This is clearly a software bug.
gavingt said:
I went ahead and updated to the November firmware, and wiped my data as well. Now my phone won't show the fingerprint sensor while unlocking under any circumstances. I also found an interesting bug wherein I'm still able to turn my screen on by tapping it repeatedly even with "Tap to check phone" disabled:
screen-20211102-164842[1]
Watch "screen-20211102-164842[1]" on Streamable.
streamable.com
EDIT: And, of course, as I was typing this the fingerprint sensor just magically came back. And it still doesn't work unless I tap the dimmed screen to wake it first. Watch as it straight up ignores my finger the first time:
screen-20211102-171057[1]
Watch "screen-20211102-171057[1]" on Streamable.
streamable.com
I can recreate this 100% of the time by just setting my phone down for a second and picking it back up, then trying to unlock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but at least we know you like dunkin donuts, dominos pizza, and your mom forgets stuff
kramer987 said:
try starting your car repeatedly. see what happens with the engine.
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Click to collapse
Guess you don't know anything about cars. You can start and stop a fuel injected car until the battery dies, and nothing will happen to the engine or fuel system. (Yes, the battery will die if you keep starting the car and tuning it off right away) Just as proof of this, most modern cars shut off the engine when you come to a stop, and restart when you let off the brake. If you're in stop and go traffic, the engine will shut off and turn on repeatedly in a short amount of time nd distance.
Now with classic cars and motorcycles, you my flood the carb with repeated starts. Not a big deal, and not any kind of damage.
The only "damage" in repeatedly starting a car would be normal wear and tear on the starter. They do have a finite lifespan. But again, not damage, just use.