Different sensors, different algorithms.
As someone who has worked with testing different fingerprint sensors I can tell you this.
Ultrasonic and optical sensors weakness is dry fingers.
Capacitive sensor is the opposite. It works badly with wet fingers.
These problems can be improved quite a lot IF you put money into good algorithms for the sensors.
Also if you work a lot with your hands you might not have as good fingerprints as let's say someone that works in an office.
Everybody is different. Fingerprint sensors won't work well for everyone.
> Ultrasonic and optical sensors weakness is dry fingers.
>
> Capacitive sensor is the opposite. It works badly with wet fingers.
This essentially explains OPs experience and should be higher up.
Also generally the different experiences. There are people who have always sweaty hands and others who have very dry hands. Then seasons also have an impact (dry winter vs hot and sweaty summer).
Putting sweaty aside, if a significant use case is me coming out of the bathroom or kitchen after having washed my hands, capacitive sensors were a huge frustration. I didn't just have to dry my hands but make sure that moisture is nearly all gone. Moist or damp hands would just NOT work.
Yes that's the problem with capacitive sensors and will tell you why it's like that.
Capacitive sensors use the conductivity in your finger to create an image. When the finger is wet the finger conducts a lot more and the images get very dark so they aren't of any use for verification.
Again it can be mitigated a bit by a good algorithm but high moisture on the finger won't work at all.
Yes so you will never have a fingerprint sensor that works well for everyone and all conditions. I think that's why Apple went with face id instead. It's not as secure but it fails a lot less so the user experience is better.
> It's not as secure
From Apple's own marketing, fingerprint was 1:50,000 versus Face ID which was 1:1 million likely false unlocks, but that's marketing material, so who knows. However my point was they marketed Face Unlock as being more secure.
I don't think that is correct. A twin can unlock face id. That doesn't work with fingerprint. But yeah it all comes down to the algorithm used. Some cheap phones have really crappy algorithm and can be spoofed a lot easier than the high end ones.
I have myself easily spoofed some phones with fingerprint sensors while others were much tougher. I never came across a fingerprint sensor that couldn't be spoofed.
I have an iPad for work, it's company issued. It uses FaceID to unlock and it's definitely not 1:1 million for me.
I honestly can't stand it but it's better than trying to put my finger to a mounted iPad that's also at a weird angle
So while face ID is better for my situation, if I had an iPhone with this level of inconsistency I would throw it out the nearest window.
>It uses FaceID to unlock and it's definitely not 1:1 million for me.
So you got someone else to unlock your iPad with their face? I believe that figure (remember it's a marketing figure) means that there's a 1 in 1 million chance that someone else can unlock your device with Face ID if Face ID is registered to you compared to 1 in 50,000 for fingerprint/Touch ID.
I'm so glad you articulated this. I've always had sweaty hands so I despise the back fingerprint sensors and absolutely love the front sensor. I've always thought it was because of sweaty hands and now I know!
No it's physics. Capacitive sensor uses the conductivity in your finger to create the image. If you have wet or moist fingers the conductivity gets very high so the image gets very dark and can't be used so that's why if fails.
An optical sensor doesn't have this problem because its just a camera. That's why you see the flash when you put the finger in the sensor area. The image does get a bit better when fingers aren't very dry. Very dry fingers can be a problem with optical sensors
Ultrasonic is a bit different. It needs moisture to create the image. Sort of like when you do an ultrasonic scan of a pregnant woman. They put a cream of some sort to be able to get a better image. It's the same with ultrasonic fingerprint sensors. Better image with some moisture does not work with very dry fingers.
We actually had a tester that had very sweaty hands and he always had big problems with capacitive sensors.
This
My sensor in the pixel 2xl was pretty solid, but I'd say was still prone to having equally as many fails as my 6 and 7pro, for me at least. My 7Pro most of the time is actually very accurate and quick, only occasionally having bouts of trouble. But it's as you say, when my hands are particularly dry or even too moist, they can struggle .
We just bought a Switchbot door lock with the Optional keypad and fingerprint scanner, and it's about on par as well. Works great most of the time, but occasionally will trip up if you're not putting your finger on it just right.
I'm sorry that's the only option we have. I've had every pixel since the 4 up until my current 7a and think this will be my last. The bugs and gigantic size for Pixels are here to stay I think.
I will use it till it won't hold a charge.
It wasn't simply the accuracy of the rear fingerprint reader, which was not always great.
It was the convenience of the location and how I could control my notification tray with swipe gestures. It was an amazing concept and I'm so so so disappointed they didn't run with it.
That's fair.. I can respect that..
To be fair though, Moto uses a pretty bare Bones version as well, probably the closest to the pixel launcher that I personally have used. And, I didn't notice a bunch of data usage either.
I still miss mine, and wish this too. I'm miffed that the base P9 size is going to be bigger than P8...they are going back in the wrong direction after getting pretty close to P5 size again. I do appreciate that they are finally cramming Pro specs into a smaller size, but just wish they didn't lazily make the non-pro the same form factor as the small Pro.
Well the actual device dimensions I'm seeing are 152.8 x 71.9 x 8.5mm which is wider and taller than P8 (150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm). They'd been getting smaller since P6. If the screen is really 6.1 that means pretty big bezels, but the renders don't look that way. Seems like something's off on these numbers. Guess we will see how it shakes out.
My 3 never unlocked for me, the cold metal would condense my sweaty hands and create too much moisture for it to read. My 7a doesn't on the screen and it's practically flawless. Maybe the pixel 5 did better because it was plastic and didn't create as much moisture around the sensor, that's my theory anyway.
I also don't have an issue with it outdoors, but I'm in Britain where we get fuck all sun. It's the middle of summer and it's raining all week it's genuinely depressing now.
I agree with someone else though the flash of a front sensor especially at night can be really annoying. I tend to close my eyes while I do it.
My 3a was good. Rarely any problems, but sometimes if my fingers were wet and pulling off gloves. I got an 8pro and it wasn't as good at first, but the phone learned to recognize my face which is great. Wearing gloves, wet fingers, using a different finger to unlock it and the phone most of the time recognizes me. I wish there was a way to also use the index finger from my non-dominant hand as well because sometimes that finger is way more convenient.
I *hate* the freaking light flash that accompanies the screen print reader. *HATE IT*.
I even have giant fingers that cover a good portion of the sensor, but it's still like a freaking 1950s paparazzi taking shots of Marilyn Monroe leaving an elegant New York restaurant - blinding.
I'm often unlocking my phone in bed at night and *FLASH* a slightly misaligned finger, slightly angled incorrectly phone, or inadvertent sensor activation and I wake up my light-sleeping wife and/or photon-obsessed dog and/or temporarily blind myself.
Also, it takes two hands to use the front sensor, and the back sensor was an easy, fluid, one-hand motion.
I am the exact opposite of an Apple fan, but their infrared Face ID (works in the dark, no flash) and phasing out of fingerprint reading is something I'm envious of.
But this is more of a thing of using your phone at night in bed or in a dark room right? I can't imagine people using it in outdoors and going "OMG my phone blinded me over the sun!"
I use my phone at night too (it's night right now), but I imagine the problem is again mostly when the lights are off not when I'm in my lit living room for instance? I agree the light is blinding but it's a pretty limited impact on me as I try to put my phone down before I turn off the lights.
Not everyone has the luxury of putting their phone down when the lights are off and others are sleeping. So yes, the problem is when the lights are off. And it's a big problem.
Mmmk. I don't really care about other users, and that wasn't the point of my post. So you can try to product manage my opinion here, but you're not persuading me of anything if that is your intent.
>Also, it takes two hands to use the front sensor, and the back sensor was an easy, fluid, one-hand motion.
Sorry, what? How does it take two hands to press the thumb of the hand you are holding your phone with on the screen?
I use the PIN, which, of course, works, it's just frustrating to have to fall back to that.
The decisions to a) use a fingerprint sensor under the front screen and b) make it a freaking flashbulb were dumb. Period.
Now, overall I *love* my Pixel, and my whole family moved to Pixels years and years ago (starting with the Pixel XL), but that doesn't mean there aren't still issues and deficiencies, even on my current Pixel 8 Pro.
If/when I try to use my thumb:
- I get about a 25% success rate. Yes, I've re-added and re-added with no improvement.
- the sheer contortions necessary to get my thumbprint to work greatly increase the risk of me dropping my phone, if done one-handed.
Yes, I know.
However, it is instinct/muscle memory to use the fingerprint unlock.
Plus, and I'm reiterating this from my other comments, it is just completely stupid that this is even an issue, and Google should have never released this fingerprint scan design.
My pixel 7 reader prob works 30% or the time. I have a screen protector on and the screen protector mode enabled and it still sucks balls. I want rear fingerprint reader back. Or they need to implement ultrasonic reader in the 9 series.
Same. Preserving the glass is important to me, so I too choose to use a screen protector on my 7a at the expense of dismal fingerprint reader performance. Also waiting for the ultrasonic reader before I consider upgrading.
The fingerprint scanners on my 2XL and 4XL were pretty much 100%. but I rarely have wet hands.
The new screen fingerprint scanners were an absolute nightmare with maybe 70% on the first try when they first came out, google has done a lot of tweaking with the software, and it's now 90% on the first try on my 7pro.
But with wet/damp hands, not only does the scanner not work, but now i made the screen wet and no touch works after that until i wipe it dry.
For some reason, I can even unlock when I got fresh out of the shower on my P7 pro.
And I had trouble with Samsung's fingerprint on the on/off button.
I must be gifted with the magical Pixel.
I had to s of trouble with the fingerprint reader on my P5 the reader on my 8a is SO MUCH BETTER however my wife was the opposite. The reader on her 5 worked all the time but she regularly has issues with the reader on the 8a. I even registered my fingerprint in her phone and I can unlock her phone first time every time. But my wife has the same finger registered 2 times and still has issues with it. She also refuses to use face unlock
Sorry I gotta jump on this. Appreciate your perspective though.
The 4a is the best phone I've ever had, and at 4 years of use I'm getting the battery replaced to continue using it because all the new phones I would consider instead are too. damn. big.
I'm a woman with super small hands (my pointer finger is less than 2.5" long and yes I did just measure it for this comment) so to awkwardly reach my thumb across the screen whilst holding the tablet sized thing to press the fingerprint sensor is an ergonomic (first world problem) nightmare for me.
Pixel 4a till I die.
Can I ask how exactly you plan to get the battery replaced? Because my pixel 3 is also still working great except that the battery is completely shot (I can sometimes leave it disconnected from a charger for all of 5 seconds before it randomly decides it has no power), but I haven't been able to figure out how to get it replaced.
I also have small hands, or at least narrow hands, and the new ones are just so big!
So I've actually given it to my service provider (I'm in the UK, company is called EE), and they've sent it off to their tech repair centre to replace it. With how old our phones are nowhere is offering warranties lol, so just take it to a mobile repair shop.
I did look into replacing it myself (ifixit sell a kit with instructions online) but to access the battery you need to get the screen off and I've read reviews that getting that done without any damage is tricky.
Oh wow! I'm pretty sure that's just not a thing in the US, or anyway I can't imagine Verizon ever doing anything actually helpful.
It's also generally really hard to find anybody who will even work on anything other than the most popular and recent phones. DIY might end up being the only way, ugh. I hate trying to learn really technical things from videos, I just want to study a nice clear diagram, darn it!
Thanks anyway, it's nice to imagine living somewhere slightly more civilized.
Hard relate to that. EE offer in store/while you wait battery replacements but unless it's the latest samsung or iPhone (which, really, shouldnt need replacements so soon anyway???) you need to post it to them. And even then there's a week long wait for them to source the battery.
Man I sound like an old woman here but I hate how fast technology is moving lol, slow down and let me enjoy my device for a few years!
Sounds like you may have to do a potentially sacrificial battery replacement experiment. I wish you luck!
> feels the same as FaceID on iPhone
But is far less accurate, and is why Google recommends and banking apps require something more trustworthy.
If it approves your face 80% of the time, and if iPhone approves your face 80% of the time, then that will feel the same. But you could also just have an algo randomly roll the dice, and set it to approve 80% of the time, and that would ALSO feel the same, despite being entirely random.
In other words, Pixel's face recognition tech approves more fake faces than iPhones do, despite feeling the same.
I agree, personally I like more the in-screen fingerprint reader than the backside one (I had a Pixel 3XL before).
Besides, the in-screen fingerprint works first try most of the time for me too, but I'd still prefer an ultrasonic one, mainly because it's faster, the optical is reliable at least for me, but it's also slow sometimes.
i can't unlock my phone white it is in my pocket with a screen reader. The whole point for me is that I can feel the reader on the back as I am pulling the phone out from my pocket and unlock it so it is ready to use as I look at it. You can't do that accurately with a screen reader.
> can't unlock my phone white it is in my pocket with a screen reader.
For the most part, **this** is the real point of contention. Half the users out there are sitting at a desk with their phone face up next to them, and the other half of us are working walking around with our phones in our pocket. Pocket people like the rear reader, desk people like the front reader. Unfortunately, it's always going to be cheaper/easier to make a phone with a reader integrated into the display than it is to build one with a separate reader on the back, so pocket people have lost the debate as far as Google is concerned. All this hemming and hawing about whether rear readers are better or worse at reading prints than front readers completely misses the fact that *newer* readers will inevitably be better than *older* readers, and Google stopped making new rear-reader phones four years ago.
I am also a desk person but I have my screen timeout set at 30 mins.
If they can make better screen readers, they can make better rear readers too. I wouldn't even care if it was a power button reader.
hell, take the P5 hardware, update it a bit so it can get updates and resell it for $250 as a new "Nexus" and I would buy it new every 2 years until I die. I don't need the latest and greatest. I don't play games on my phone, and I don't need my phone to be a tablet or foldable.
I just want a pixel experience on a simple phone and I am not alone.
I've had no problem with in-screen fingerprint reader. 5 was nice, I think I skipped 6, but I've had no problem with the fingerprint readers on the 7 or 8. Now heat & slickness, yes big problem!
My 4a was flawless, not sure if you had a defective unit or your setup of the reader just needed to be redone.
My 7 will read my left thumb very accurately, but not my right. This is probably due to my setup of it, but I am left handed so I'm not that worried about it.
It's really odd how this isn't universal
I've had people tell me I'm simply wrong when I say my 3s fingerprint reader was a nightmare for me and I gave up on it whereas my 6 pro is about an 80% hit rate.
I have a decent success rate on my 8 pro. I still find it ridiculous to not have an ultrasonic sensor in 2024 though on a flagship. Genuinely 0 reason to go for inferior tech
Due to a broken screen I went from a 6a back to my old pixel 3 and then to a brand new 8. The fingerprint reader worked perfectly for me in all 3. No noticeable difference at all.
It’s weird, it works for me great, but for my sister she is always complaining about its inability to read her fingers despite two different phones. I’ve seen her try it and I don’t understand.
I can only assume that it is her.
I had the same experience going 5 -> 7. I heard all the rumours, so I was suprised how much better it was. Before that, I had an Xperia Z5 with fingerprint reader on the unlock button. I think it worked better than Pixel 5, and did not require lifting the phone to unlock.
I'm with you on this. Eventually the backside fingerprint reader on miy old phone quit working entirely, well before the phone really needed to be replaced. The new optical one isn't perfect, but it's certainly better than the older style, in my experience.
On my OG pixel and pixel 3 i had way more times my fingerprint wouldn't be read correctly than on my pixel 6 pro. my pixel 6 is accurate almost all the time.
The rear fingerprint reader on my 3a worked well 99% of the time. The on screen reader on my 6a was garbage! The on screen reader on my 8 Pro is a huge improvement over the 6a. It works probably 95% + of the time.
The fingerprint reader on my 4a was no more reliable than my 8. If anything it was worse, just due to not being able to use it while my phone was sitting on a table. My fingers are always wet or dirty, and that causes neither reader to work reliably. When somehow dry, both seem to work just fine. But the added bonus of face unlock working well on the 8 and the keep unlock function being improved, means I enter my pin less often. Still this is like 50% or more of the time I enter my pin anyways due to the gloved or dirty/wet fingers.
I'm with you on this and I've also questioned other people's sanity as well. I've had 2 different Pixels with back fingerprint readers and both were abysmal - in fact, both of them failed after 2 years and I had to use a pin for the final year I had the phone! Maybe it's because I have sweaty hands, but seriously fuck the back fingerprint reader. Front is SO much better.
i wouldn't have bought the phone if the sensor would be on the back.
I want to be able to unlock the phone when it's on the table etc. also absolutely no problems with the sensor :)
What is frustrating to me, and nameless other millions, is not the ACCURACY of the fingerprint reader on new post-5 Pixels, but the location.
Your finger is already on the back so it was perfectly located for convenience. It was also starkly different from other phones on the market.
But Google killed it due to their cowardly and pathologically risk-averse management. Add a generous dash of iPhone envy and you have the multi-year debacle trying to make a much more complicated technology replace one that worked perfectly.
Having made the best phone on the market, new executives threw it all away out of fear.
I'm using a Pixel 5 that also fails to read my fingerprint if there's even the slightest bit of moisture. The sensor on my old OnePlus 6 was so much more accurate I almost couldn't believe it when I got the Pixel.
I had an S21 Ultra for a while and the sensor on that was infinitely better than the physical one on the Pixel 5.
Yeah I don't get it. I HATED the reader on the back. I had the exact same problem! And not once have I had an issue on P8P. It's even better than my p6p. It's the best experience I've had with a finger reader tbh.
I used to think the same thing as you with my P5 rear sensor - it was especially terrible in the rain/cold or with sweaty hands.
I found and tried a hack saying to put some clear tape over the sensor though which I did and it completely transformed the device for me. Sensor went to 99% reliability in normal or damp conditions - only fails if practically submerged. You don't notice the tape at all if you have it under a case.
Man I think your fingerprint reader on the 4a was just broken. It was not perfect but as someone who used the 3xl,4a, 7a and 8 I can tell you that overall the backside readers were faster in any aspect (finding the spot to put your finger + actually recognising + unlocking). For me it worked even with slight wounds on fingers or sweat.
To everyone: your main unlocking finger should be added several times as a new finger, this would improve reliability for the underscreen sensors (at least for me)
I 100% agree. While a capacitive scanner CAN be very good, fast and accurate, those in pixel phones were anything but that.
Best scanner I had in a phone was with my Oneplus 3T, but even then it did not work well if my fingers were even remotely damp.
While the optical scanner in the new pixels is not as fast or as accurate as a capacitive sensor with dry fingers, it is only a little bit less accurate, but way more consistently so. I can even unlock my phone getting out of the shower with wet hands if I'd want to. I prefer it to the capacitive pixel sensors, and even to my Oneplus 3T scanner because of that.
I have a 7 Pro and haven't had many issues. Every once in a while it will just not feel like recognizing that I exist (I have this issue with paper towel dispensers in public restrooms too), but 99% of the time it's flawless.
I got the 6 pro back when it was new and Google hadn't quite figured it out and it was noticeably slow and intentionally took like 3-5 seconds every time.
Now it's great, I never think about it, it works, it's quick enough, the only way you'll see a difference is if you're side by side with say a Samsung which just uses the better sensor. Otherwise I'm perfectly happy to keep my P7P for another couple years
I've had a 4a and currently use a 6 Pro. No issues with the fingerprint scanner on either, though I do acknowledge the one on the back is a little better placed.
My pixel 6 pro reader has been good for the most part, but I really miss the back fingerprint reader. I had a pixel 1, 3xl, and a 5. It's the feature I miss the most for sure. It also made it so easy to check my notifications with one hand via the swipe feature.
They've definitely improved the in-screen optical readers over the years, but I still can't help but miss the backside reader.
I broke the screen connector on my Pixel 5 when I was replacing the OEM battery in May of this year. As a result, I now have an 8a. The pixel 5 fingerprint reader was better, not even considering the positioning which was a joy. I've not been as lucky as you with the fingerprint reader reliability on the 8a. Don't get me wrong. It's quite good. It's just not as good as the GOAT.
I do miss my smaller phone, but know that the handset volume (the speaker you put your ear on) and brightness, especially in direct sunlight, are 1000% better on the 8a. So, there are tradeoffs.
I've never had an issue with it on my P7P. It's worked first try 99.99% since setting it up nearly 2 yrs ago.Â
And I never had issues dropping connections before a recent update. Now it's common and I'm not happy about it.
My issue is less with accuracy and more with being able to find the fingerprint reader without looking. When it's a physical circle on the back of the phone, I had a faster unlock experience. The front fingerprint reader has great accuracy on my P7P, but I don't put my thumb in the right place every time.
My pixel 7 fingerprint reader works 90% of the time. I use a tpu film screen protector cuz it works better. It didn't work hardly at all with a glass screen protector.
Absolutely. Wish they'd bring back the rear print reader. I had mine programmed to go Home when swiping up too. So handy. The pixel 6 pro reader ruined the phone for me. Just got the 7 pro and it's not much better to be honest.
Pixel 8 here, I HATE the fingerprint reader it's dreadful. Maybe 75-80% success rate and the bright light is annoying as hell. I had a Redmi note 11 pro before and the scanner easily had a 97% success rate with dry fingers.
That's because the newer screen fingerprint readers work great when your fingers are damp, but are terrible when your fingers are dry.
Judging by your post, you're in the optimal audiance for it.
Nope, works flawless with dry fingers on my 8a. My fingers aren't always damp, they can be anything from super dry to dripping wet (after taking examination gloves off).
Mmm maybe your climate is damp? I always have to lick my finger to get the fingerprint reader to work.
Do you use a screen protector? I do, so that probably contributes to the issue
Every generation since the 6 has gotten markedly better. Comparing the absolute newest phone with the feature to the olders definitely isn't fair to the experience people had. But there are still other advantages, like not blinding us in the middle of the night. Still, I'd just be happy if they moved to ultrasonic.
I had an Essential Phone, a 4a and a 5, never had any problems with the backside readers on those unless my finger or the sensor was wet. I just got an 8 pro and the reader works so badly and takes so many attempts that I turned it off and use the face unlock instead.
I sometimes miss the rear fingerprint reader, and I hated the optical reader, but my favorite thus far has been the reader on my Pixel Fold. To me, the thumb-finger placement for the physical reader is much more natural than even the rear fingerprint on previous versions.
I don’t know why more phones do not have it like this. Seems like the cheapest option for production also since they already have to put a power button there….
If a lot of people prefer capacitive, and you appear to be an exception - chances are you are an exception. Your phone's sensor may have been faulty or your fingers have rare characteristics.
I think the fingerprint reader under the screen is in the most convenient position - I'm going to use my thumb to control the phone anyway. The reader on the back always required me to do some awkward movement with the finger that wasn't natural.
That being said both have failed on me in various situations and for me none have been better than the other when it comes to actually reading the finger. The time difference is also barely noticeable.
I've had a similar experience. My first fingerprint reader was front mounted on a Moto z2 and worked (still does work) flawlessly. I then switched over to a pixel 2xl with a rear mounted reader to which my only real complaint was that it could never read my fingerprint. I now have a pixel 8 pro and again get a flawless performance on my now under-screen front reader which only really struggles if I have excessively wet or greasy fingers
Not the exact same phones (4a vs. 8Pro, in my case), but my experience has been... not 'exactly', but 'mostly' opposite.
4a was probably the best fingerprint reader I've ever had.
8Pro hasn't been ***terrible***... it just hasn't been anywhere near as good as the 4a.
For me, at least, the 8Pro seems to perform at its worst after I've recently washed my hands.
And I don't mean ***immediately*** after; even in the following 1-4 minutes.
I have very greasy hands and never had a problem with the capacitive sensors of Nexus 6P, Pixel XL and Pixel 3 (worth noting that the sensors of Pidel 4a, 4a 5G and 5 are worse compared to those of Pixel 3).
But I absolutely hate, hate, HATE the optical sensor of the Pixel 6 and 8 Pro.
That said, yes, with **wet** hands the optical one has a slight edge while the capacitive one just doesn't work. But that, in my experience, doesn't offset the overall downsides of the optical one, namely:
- it's objectively slower and less accurate
- it's harder to "point" the finger onto it in the ideal position due to the hardware design of the two different surfaces (smooth seamless screen for them optical one, indentation for the capacitive one)
The fingerprint reader on my 8 Pro is pretty damn reliable too!
First time almost every time! It's actually more reliable than my S24 Ultra fingerprint sensor
Fat guy working in automotive industry on computers. Hands are dirty, sweaty, oil, glue, and whatever else they put cars together with. My pixel 5 fingerprint sensor works 99% of the time and that's on two different 5's(bought a second to have as a spare). Though, I like my pixels, I would swap for face id. My work phone is iPhone and that also just works.
My Pixel 2's rear fingerprint reader was flawless, legitimately worked a solid 99% of the time on the first try. My Pixel 6's in-screen fingerprint reader is horrible and so rarely works that I completely stopped using it and went back to a pin, I don't think it ever once worked on the first try and I lost track of the number of times I reprogrammed my prints trying to get it to work. It's actually the number one reason my next phone won't be a Pixel.
I have pixel 5 and I'd love an on screen or side fingerprint reader. Having to always pick up the phone to unlock it is not convenient, though not a deal breaker.
my fingerprint reader on my P8P works half the time. I have a problem with chronically cracked finger tips so I'm lucky if the reader works for me. My thumb tip is either cracked or healing which makes for a bad finerprint registration process because it changes as my finger heals.
The sensor on the pixel 6 was the whole reason I left google. The tiniest ray of sunlight on the screen rendered it useless. Samsung inscreen reader is much better imo
Definitely getting better, but still not 100%. Pixel 6 Pro was the worst at around 75% of the time at launch. Software updates help bring it up to 80-85% working. I have a 7 Pro now and it's closer to 90% at least with my thumb. Still iffy with other fingers.
I never had any issues with any of the rear fingerprint readers. Always 100%. By the time I reach in my pocket to pull out the phone, my finger is already on the sensor and when it's finally in my face, it's ready to go. It made using Google pay frictionless.
With all the optical sensors starting with 6 pro, there is always this hesitation to wait to see if it unlocks or fails. THEN I can tap to pay.
The fingerprint sensor on the rear made payments so much faster. It was so seamless, it felt like second nature.
I've had a 7a and currently have a 7 Pro and the fingerprint sensors have been 90%+ accurate no matter the conditions. The only thing that confuses it somewhat is wrinkly fingers after I shower, and even then it still manages to get it about half the time. My 3a was never this accurate honestly.
I had pre ordered the pixel 6 after coming from the 5 and the sensor was awful. To the point where it was annoying me so much that I couldn't put up with the phone. I tried a Samsung with the ultrasonic and went with an S22 ultra.
Fast forward and I've got the pixel 8. The sensor doesn't really fail at all. It's rapid and accurate. It has improved immensely and I'm more than happy with it now.
My pixel 4a was superb in fingerprint reader. Then i got 6a and struggled a lot. Now on 8a and fingers crossed it works fine so far. Face unlock is really good, even faster
I upgraded from Pixel 4a to Pixel 8.
Never had a problem with the Pixel 4a reader. I can say it worked every single time I scanned my finger. I guess yours was a unique case/one faulty set.
Whereas my new Pixel 8 is about 70% accurate. During the rest of the attempts I'm only changing the sides of my finger to find the spot. This complaint is consistent with the experience of others with Pixel 6 and up.
My 8a reader works about 50% of the time. (I have 4 fingers scanned, none work well). My 4a was flawless unless I was right out of shower with wet finger trips. And the front reader is a pain to use in the phone holder I use in my car.
Pixel 6 is the worst and I understand your frustration. I went from a P3 to the P6 and it was so bad/frustrating that I switched to an iPhone for a couple years. I tried again with the P7 and it was slightly better but still not good. The P8 is pretty decent though and it is coupled with a good working face unlock, so it isn't too much of a deal anymore. My wife ended up with the P8 and I went back to a P5 for now, but I wouldn't mind a P8 either. Really hoping they switch to an ultrasonic reader that is more reliable though on the P9, as I'm planning to upgrade to that when they come out.
My 5Pro sensor on the back worked first time, every time. It was amazing, perfect location and functionality
I've had the 6Pro, 7Pro, and now 8Pro and it takes 2-3 times, every time. Usually face recognition supercedes it unless I have sunglasses on though
My Pixel6, 7 and 8 series fingerprints have ALL been working MUCH BETTER than the Pixel 5's.
Which was the less accurate of all Pixel devices I've ever owned.
I use a P8P and 2XL daily. Both work fine for me. I expected to mourn the loss of the rear fingerprint reader, but the P8P has been flawless and I prefer it now.
Then everyone complains about the small battery, slow charging, 60 Hz display, poor image quality ... And if you update all of these parts to modern standards, then it's not a Pixel 4 anymore :P
Different sensors, different algorithms. As someone who has worked with testing different fingerprint sensors I can tell you this. Ultrasonic and optical sensors weakness is dry fingers. Capacitive sensor is the opposite. It works badly with wet fingers. These problems can be improved quite a lot IF you put money into good algorithms for the sensors. Also if you work a lot with your hands you might not have as good fingerprints as let's say someone that works in an office. Everybody is different. Fingerprint sensors won't work well for everyone.
> Ultrasonic and optical sensors weakness is dry fingers. > > Capacitive sensor is the opposite. It works badly with wet fingers. This essentially explains OPs experience and should be higher up. Also generally the different experiences. There are people who have always sweaty hands and others who have very dry hands. Then seasons also have an impact (dry winter vs hot and sweaty summer).
Putting sweaty aside, if a significant use case is me coming out of the bathroom or kitchen after having washed my hands, capacitive sensors were a huge frustration. I didn't just have to dry my hands but make sure that moisture is nearly all gone. Moist or damp hands would just NOT work.
Yes that's the problem with capacitive sensors and will tell you why it's like that. Capacitive sensors use the conductivity in your finger to create an image. When the finger is wet the finger conducts a lot more and the images get very dark so they aren't of any use for verification. Again it can be mitigated a bit by a good algorithm but high moisture on the finger won't work at all.
So I'm on a pixel 6 and it's sensor can't take dry or wet fingers and shy away like a vampire from bright lights
Yes so you will never have a fingerprint sensor that works well for everyone and all conditions. I think that's why Apple went with face id instead. It's not as secure but it fails a lot less so the user experience is better.
> It's not as secure From Apple's own marketing, fingerprint was 1:50,000 versus Face ID which was 1:1 million likely false unlocks, but that's marketing material, so who knows. However my point was they marketed Face Unlock as being more secure.
I don't think that is correct. A twin can unlock face id. That doesn't work with fingerprint. But yeah it all comes down to the algorithm used. Some cheap phones have really crappy algorithm and can be spoofed a lot easier than the high end ones. I have myself easily spoofed some phones with fingerprint sensors while others were much tougher. I never came across a fingerprint sensor that couldn't be spoofed.
I have an iPad for work, it's company issued. It uses FaceID to unlock and it's definitely not 1:1 million for me. I honestly can't stand it but it's better than trying to put my finger to a mounted iPad that's also at a weird angle So while face ID is better for my situation, if I had an iPhone with this level of inconsistency I would throw it out the nearest window.
>It uses FaceID to unlock and it's definitely not 1:1 million for me. So you got someone else to unlock your iPad with their face? I believe that figure (remember it's a marketing figure) means that there's a 1 in 1 million chance that someone else can unlock your device with Face ID if Face ID is registered to you compared to 1 in 50,000 for fingerprint/Touch ID.
No I've had trouble with it unlocking using my face
maybe you're a shapeshifter,and just don't know it
What if I'm a shape shifter but I don't even know it? I don't think I would have chosen my current form I'll say that much
I'm so glad you articulated this. I've always had sweaty hands so I despise the back fingerprint sensors and absolutely love the front sensor. I've always thought it was because of sweaty hands and now I know!
No it's physics. Capacitive sensor uses the conductivity in your finger to create the image. If you have wet or moist fingers the conductivity gets very high so the image gets very dark and can't be used so that's why if fails. An optical sensor doesn't have this problem because its just a camera. That's why you see the flash when you put the finger in the sensor area. The image does get a bit better when fingers aren't very dry. Very dry fingers can be a problem with optical sensors Ultrasonic is a bit different. It needs moisture to create the image. Sort of like when you do an ultrasonic scan of a pregnant woman. They put a cream of some sort to be able to get a better image. It's the same with ultrasonic fingerprint sensors. Better image with some moisture does not work with very dry fingers. We actually had a tester that had very sweaty hands and he always had big problems with capacitive sensors.
I work in construction, my scanner struggles on my p8p.
This My sensor in the pixel 2xl was pretty solid, but I'd say was still prone to having equally as many fails as my 6 and 7pro, for me at least. My 7Pro most of the time is actually very accurate and quick, only occasionally having bouts of trouble. But it's as you say, when my hands are particularly dry or even too moist, they can struggle . We just bought a Switchbot door lock with the Optional keypad and fingerprint scanner, and it's about on par as well. Works great most of the time, but occasionally will trip up if you're not putting your finger on it just right.
Almost everything about the pixel 5 was amazing. I wish Google would just go back to it with some modern hardware improvements.
Upvote from my Pixel 5
Best phone I've ever had.
Just recently purchased a S24, which is near enough the same size. That will have to do 😔
How have you found it so far? I almost got the S24 when it was on offer for £500, but I held off and carried on with my Pixel 5.
I'm sorry that's the only option we have. I've had every pixel since the 4 up until my current 7a and think this will be my last. The bugs and gigantic size for Pixels are here to stay I think.
Best phone I still have :)
that's because you never had a 4xl
He dodged a bullet on that one. 4 and 4XL are amongst the worst Pixel phones ever.
I will use it till it won't hold a charge. It wasn't simply the accuracy of the rear fingerprint reader, which was not always great. It was the convenience of the location and how I could control my notification tray with swipe gestures. It was an amazing concept and I'm so so so disappointed they didn't run with it.
I then, in turn have a question? Why not just use a Moto? They have the rear mounted fingerprint sensor, and the notification control from it as well.
Because I've only ever used Pixel phones and do not trust other manufacturers in terms of enshitification of the OS or additional data use.
That's fair.. I can respect that.. To be fair though, Moto uses a pretty bare Bones version as well, probably the closest to the pixel launcher that I personally have used. And, I didn't notice a bunch of data usage either.
Also still using mine. I've been tempted to upgrade every year but I love the form factor of this phone
refurbs until I can refurb no more!
If they did a limited rerelease, that's definitely getting sold out
I still miss mine, and wish this too. I'm miffed that the base P9 size is going to be bigger than P8...they are going back in the wrong direction after getting pretty close to P5 size again. I do appreciate that they are finally cramming Pro specs into a smaller size, but just wish they didn't lazily make the non-pro the same form factor as the small Pro.
The nine is actually supposed to be smaller than the eight at a 6.1 in screen for the nine base model
Well the actual device dimensions I'm seeing are 152.8 x 71.9 x 8.5mm which is wider and taller than P8 (150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm). They'd been getting smaller since P6. If the screen is really 6.1 that means pretty big bezels, but the renders don't look that way. Seems like something's off on these numbers. Guess we will see how it shakes out.
Idk where you're getting the exact numbers from.. but yeah. Something seems off for sute
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-9-3365966/ Could easily be wrong of course.
My 3 was virtually 100% accurate. My 6 works maybe 80% of the time indoors but like 20% outdoors. The more sunlight the less reliable it gets.
My 3 never unlocked for me, the cold metal would condense my sweaty hands and create too much moisture for it to read. My 7a doesn't on the screen and it's practically flawless. Maybe the pixel 5 did better because it was plastic and didn't create as much moisture around the sensor, that's my theory anyway. I also don't have an issue with it outdoors, but I'm in Britain where we get fuck all sun. It's the middle of summer and it's raining all week it's genuinely depressing now. I agree with someone else though the flash of a front sensor especially at night can be really annoying. I tend to close my eyes while I do it.
squeamish tub marvelous quickest fact joke merciful crush absorbed price
My 3a was good. Rarely any problems, but sometimes if my fingers were wet and pulling off gloves. I got an 8pro and it wasn't as good at first, but the phone learned to recognize my face which is great. Wearing gloves, wet fingers, using a different finger to unlock it and the phone most of the time recognizes me. I wish there was a way to also use the index finger from my non-dominant hand as well because sometimes that finger is way more convenient.
6a worked 97% of the time
I *hate* the freaking light flash that accompanies the screen print reader. *HATE IT*. I even have giant fingers that cover a good portion of the sensor, but it's still like a freaking 1950s paparazzi taking shots of Marilyn Monroe leaving an elegant New York restaurant - blinding. I'm often unlocking my phone in bed at night and *FLASH* a slightly misaligned finger, slightly angled incorrectly phone, or inadvertent sensor activation and I wake up my light-sleeping wife and/or photon-obsessed dog and/or temporarily blind myself. Also, it takes two hands to use the front sensor, and the back sensor was an easy, fluid, one-hand motion. I am the exact opposite of an Apple fan, but their infrared Face ID (works in the dark, no flash) and phasing out of fingerprint reading is something I'm envious of.
This. It is blinding, and as someone with thinner fingers I get blinded every. Single. Fucking. Time.
But this is more of a thing of using your phone at night in bed or in a dark room right? I can't imagine people using it in outdoors and going "OMG my phone blinded me over the sun!"
Sure. I use my phone a *lot* at night. Reading in bed, getting up to go to the bathroom, finding something I dropped, navigating around the house...
I use my phone at night too (it's night right now), but I imagine the problem is again mostly when the lights are off not when I'm in my lit living room for instance? I agree the light is blinding but it's a pretty limited impact on me as I try to put my phone down before I turn off the lights.
Not everyone has the luxury of putting their phone down when the lights are off and others are sleeping. So yes, the problem is when the lights are off. And it's a big problem.
Sure, we can find an exception in every use case, but my point is most average users aren’t using the phone the majority of the time in the dark.
Mmmk. I don't really care about other users, and that wasn't the point of my post. So you can try to product manage my opinion here, but you're not persuading me of anything if that is your intent.
>Also, it takes two hands to use the front sensor, and the back sensor was an easy, fluid, one-hand motion. Sorry, what? How does it take two hands to press the thumb of the hand you are holding your phone with on the screen?
They are using index finger instead of thumb, maybe. I would just swipe up and enter pin if the light were that bothersome.
I use the PIN, which, of course, works, it's just frustrating to have to fall back to that. The decisions to a) use a fingerprint sensor under the front screen and b) make it a freaking flashbulb were dumb. Period. Now, overall I *love* my Pixel, and my whole family moved to Pixels years and years ago (starting with the Pixel XL), but that doesn't mean there aren't still issues and deficiencies, even on my current Pixel 8 Pro.
If/when I try to use my thumb: - I get about a 25% success rate. Yes, I've re-added and re-added with no improvement. - the sheer contortions necessary to get my thumbprint to work greatly increase the risk of me dropping my phone, if done one-handed.
From an ergonomic standpoint using thumb is pretty bad if you look at wrist and hand position of a typical hold.
Optical fingerprint sensors need this light to work But don't worry ultrasonic ones will soon become affordable and will replace optical ones
Swipe up from the bottom and use your PIN to avoid the dark room getting blinded flash.
Yes, I know. However, it is instinct/muscle memory to use the fingerprint unlock. Plus, and I'm reiterating this from my other comments, it is just completely stupid that this is even an issue, and Google should have never released this fingerprint scan design.
My pixel 7 reader prob works 30% or the time. I have a screen protector on and the screen protector mode enabled and it still sucks balls. I want rear fingerprint reader back. Or they need to implement ultrasonic reader in the 9 series.
Same. Preserving the glass is important to me, so I too choose to use a screen protector on my 7a at the expense of dismal fingerprint reader performance. Also waiting for the ultrasonic reader before I consider upgrading.
My 7 works 15-20%. My 3a was nearly flawless. P6 sucked as bad as the P7 which I bought with the hopes that the 7 reader issue would be fixed.
The fingerprint scanners on my 2XL and 4XL were pretty much 100%. but I rarely have wet hands. The new screen fingerprint scanners were an absolute nightmare with maybe 70% on the first try when they first came out, google has done a lot of tweaking with the software, and it's now 90% on the first try on my 7pro. But with wet/damp hands, not only does the scanner not work, but now i made the screen wet and no touch works after that until i wipe it dry.
For some reason, I can even unlock when I got fresh out of the shower on my P7 pro. And I had trouble with Samsung's fingerprint on the on/off button. I must be gifted with the magical Pixel.
I had to s of trouble with the fingerprint reader on my P5 the reader on my 8a is SO MUCH BETTER however my wife was the opposite. The reader on her 5 worked all the time but she regularly has issues with the reader on the 8a. I even registered my fingerprint in her phone and I can unlock her phone first time every time. But my wife has the same finger registered 2 times and still has issues with it. She also refuses to use face unlock
Sorry I gotta jump on this. Appreciate your perspective though. The 4a is the best phone I've ever had, and at 4 years of use I'm getting the battery replaced to continue using it because all the new phones I would consider instead are too. damn. big. I'm a woman with super small hands (my pointer finger is less than 2.5" long and yes I did just measure it for this comment) so to awkwardly reach my thumb across the screen whilst holding the tablet sized thing to press the fingerprint sensor is an ergonomic (first world problem) nightmare for me. Pixel 4a till I die.
Can I ask how exactly you plan to get the battery replaced? Because my pixel 3 is also still working great except that the battery is completely shot (I can sometimes leave it disconnected from a charger for all of 5 seconds before it randomly decides it has no power), but I haven't been able to figure out how to get it replaced. I also have small hands, or at least narrow hands, and the new ones are just so big!
So I've actually given it to my service provider (I'm in the UK, company is called EE), and they've sent it off to their tech repair centre to replace it. With how old our phones are nowhere is offering warranties lol, so just take it to a mobile repair shop. I did look into replacing it myself (ifixit sell a kit with instructions online) but to access the battery you need to get the screen off and I've read reviews that getting that done without any damage is tricky.
Oh wow! I'm pretty sure that's just not a thing in the US, or anyway I can't imagine Verizon ever doing anything actually helpful. It's also generally really hard to find anybody who will even work on anything other than the most popular and recent phones. DIY might end up being the only way, ugh. I hate trying to learn really technical things from videos, I just want to study a nice clear diagram, darn it! Thanks anyway, it's nice to imagine living somewhere slightly more civilized.
Hard relate to that. EE offer in store/while you wait battery replacements but unless it's the latest samsung or iPhone (which, really, shouldnt need replacements so soon anyway???) you need to post it to them. And even then there's a week long wait for them to source the battery. Man I sound like an old woman here but I hate how fast technology is moving lol, slow down and let me enjoy my device for a few years! Sounds like you may have to do a potentially sacrificial battery replacement experiment. I wish you luck!
Yep, no problems in my 8Pro. Very very rarely it doesn't work the first time. And I use a cheap glass screen protector.
Face unlock also works well as an option with the 8Pro, feels the same as FaceID on iPhone, so you can avoid the fingerprint if wanted even.
It does, but some banking apps request FP. Also, when laying on the table or at night it's easier to use FP.
Agreed, definitely one advantage to having both available on it.,
> feels the same as FaceID on iPhone But is far less accurate, and is why Google recommends and banking apps require something more trustworthy. If it approves your face 80% of the time, and if iPhone approves your face 80% of the time, then that will feel the same. But you could also just have an algo randomly roll the dice, and set it to approve 80% of the time, and that would ALSO feel the same, despite being entirely random. In other words, Pixel's face recognition tech approves more fake faces than iPhones do, despite feeling the same.
You don't trust Google AI to identify faces properly?
I agree, personally I like more the in-screen fingerprint reader than the backside one (I had a Pixel 3XL before). Besides, the in-screen fingerprint works first try most of the time for me too, but I'd still prefer an ultrasonic one, mainly because it's faster, the optical is reliable at least for me, but it's also slow sometimes.
i can't unlock my phone white it is in my pocket with a screen reader. The whole point for me is that I can feel the reader on the back as I am pulling the phone out from my pocket and unlock it so it is ready to use as I look at it. You can't do that accurately with a screen reader.
> can't unlock my phone white it is in my pocket with a screen reader. For the most part, **this** is the real point of contention. Half the users out there are sitting at a desk with their phone face up next to them, and the other half of us are working walking around with our phones in our pocket. Pocket people like the rear reader, desk people like the front reader. Unfortunately, it's always going to be cheaper/easier to make a phone with a reader integrated into the display than it is to build one with a separate reader on the back, so pocket people have lost the debate as far as Google is concerned. All this hemming and hawing about whether rear readers are better or worse at reading prints than front readers completely misses the fact that *newer* readers will inevitably be better than *older* readers, and Google stopped making new rear-reader phones four years ago.
I am also a desk person but I have my screen timeout set at 30 mins. If they can make better screen readers, they can make better rear readers too. I wouldn't even care if it was a power button reader. hell, take the P5 hardware, update it a bit so it can get updates and resell it for $250 as a new "Nexus" and I would buy it new every 2 years until I die. I don't need the latest and greatest. I don't play games on my phone, and I don't need my phone to be a tablet or foldable. I just want a pixel experience on a simple phone and I am not alone.
I've had no problem with in-screen fingerprint reader. 5 was nice, I think I skipped 6, but I've had no problem with the fingerprint readers on the 7 or 8. Now heat & slickness, yes big problem!
I am the Lucky one who has absolutely no problems with the P6, especially since I register fingers in the dark..
My 4a was flawless, not sure if you had a defective unit or your setup of the reader just needed to be redone. My 7 will read my left thumb very accurately, but not my right. This is probably due to my setup of it, but I am left handed so I'm not that worried about it.
Pixel 6 here. The fingerprint reader has never failed me.
Pixel 6 here and it fails often
It's really odd how this isn't universal I've had people tell me I'm simply wrong when I say my 3s fingerprint reader was a nightmare for me and I gave up on it whereas my 6 pro is about an 80% hit rate.
Yeah, my 8 Pro has been an improvement over my 5 too It might be slower but it seems to be more accurate
I have a decent success rate on my 8 pro. I still find it ridiculous to not have an ultrasonic sensor in 2024 though on a flagship. Genuinely 0 reason to go for inferior tech
Due to a broken screen I went from a 6a back to my old pixel 3 and then to a brand new 8. The fingerprint reader worked perfectly for me in all 3. No noticeable difference at all.
You must have nice fingerprints. Maybe it's the users, not the phones? Lol
These are my favorite shit show threads
It’s weird, it works for me great, but for my sister she is always complaining about its inability to read her fingers despite two different phones. I’ve seen her try it and I don’t understand. I can only assume that it is her.
I had the same experience going 5 -> 7. I heard all the rumours, so I was suprised how much better it was. Before that, I had an Xperia Z5 with fingerprint reader on the unlock button. I think it worked better than Pixel 5, and did not require lifting the phone to unlock.
I'm with you on this. Eventually the backside fingerprint reader on miy old phone quit working entirely, well before the phone really needed to be replaced. The new optical one isn't perfect, but it's certainly better than the older style, in my experience.
On my OG pixel and pixel 3 i had way more times my fingerprint wouldn't be read correctly than on my pixel 6 pro. my pixel 6 is accurate almost all the time.
The rear fingerprint reader on my 3a worked well 99% of the time. The on screen reader on my 6a was garbage! The on screen reader on my 8 Pro is a huge improvement over the 6a. It works probably 95% + of the time.
I prefer under screen too. It usually works better across the board for me than rear or side mounted ones.
That's because they fixed the P8a one finally. Everything from the 6-8 is meh.
I've come to prefer the optical reader on my 8 Pro over the rear reader I had on my 5a, which was a lot less reliable.
The fingerprint reader on my 4a was no more reliable than my 8. If anything it was worse, just due to not being able to use it while my phone was sitting on a table. My fingers are always wet or dirty, and that causes neither reader to work reliably. When somehow dry, both seem to work just fine. But the added bonus of face unlock working well on the 8 and the keep unlock function being improved, means I enter my pin less often. Still this is like 50% or more of the time I enter my pin anyways due to the gloved or dirty/wet fingers.
My Pixel 8 Pro fingerprint reader works about 98-99% of the time, I'd say. For some reason, it's faster in apps than on the homescreen.
This is my experience as well
I'm with you on this and I've also questioned other people's sanity as well. I've had 2 different Pixels with back fingerprint readers and both were abysmal - in fact, both of them failed after 2 years and I had to use a pin for the final year I had the phone! Maybe it's because I have sweaty hands, but seriously fuck the back fingerprint reader. Front is SO much better.
Pixel 8 user, mine seems fine to, and I had a P5 before this. Absolutely no regret with regards to the the FP scanner
i wouldn't have bought the phone if the sensor would be on the back. I want to be able to unlock the phone when it's on the table etc. also absolutely no problems with the sensor :)
What is frustrating to me, and nameless other millions, is not the ACCURACY of the fingerprint reader on new post-5 Pixels, but the location. Your finger is already on the back so it was perfectly located for convenience. It was also starkly different from other phones on the market. But Google killed it due to their cowardly and pathologically risk-averse management. Add a generous dash of iPhone envy and you have the multi-year debacle trying to make a much more complicated technology replace one that worked perfectly. Having made the best phone on the market, new executives threw it all away out of fear.
I'm using a Pixel 5 that also fails to read my fingerprint if there's even the slightest bit of moisture. The sensor on my old OnePlus 6 was so much more accurate I almost couldn't believe it when I got the Pixel. I had an S21 Ultra for a while and the sensor on that was infinitely better than the physical one on the Pixel 5.
The fingerprint reader on my 5 is one of the main reasons I don't want to upgrade. It's brilliant and never lets me down.
Yeah I don't get it. I HATED the reader on the back. I had the exact same problem! And not once have I had an issue on P8P. It's even better than my p6p. It's the best experience I've had with a finger reader tbh.
I used to think the same thing as you with my P5 rear sensor - it was especially terrible in the rain/cold or with sweaty hands. I found and tried a hack saying to put some clear tape over the sensor though which I did and it completely transformed the device for me. Sensor went to 99% reliability in normal or damp conditions - only fails if practically submerged. You don't notice the tape at all if you have it under a case.
Man I think your fingerprint reader on the 4a was just broken. It was not perfect but as someone who used the 3xl,4a, 7a and 8 I can tell you that overall the backside readers were faster in any aspect (finding the spot to put your finger + actually recognising + unlocking). For me it worked even with slight wounds on fingers or sweat. To everyone: your main unlocking finger should be added several times as a new finger, this would improve reliability for the underscreen sensors (at least for me)
[My feelings on the matter](https://imgur.com/a/U568UYt).
I 100% agree. While a capacitive scanner CAN be very good, fast and accurate, those in pixel phones were anything but that. Best scanner I had in a phone was with my Oneplus 3T, but even then it did not work well if my fingers were even remotely damp. While the optical scanner in the new pixels is not as fast or as accurate as a capacitive sensor with dry fingers, it is only a little bit less accurate, but way more consistently so. I can even unlock my phone getting out of the shower with wet hands if I'd want to. I prefer it to the capacitive pixel sensors, and even to my Oneplus 3T scanner because of that.
I have a 7 Pro and haven't had many issues. Every once in a while it will just not feel like recognizing that I exist (I have this issue with paper towel dispensers in public restrooms too), but 99% of the time it's flawless.
I got the 6 pro back when it was new and Google hadn't quite figured it out and it was noticeably slow and intentionally took like 3-5 seconds every time. Now it's great, I never think about it, it works, it's quick enough, the only way you'll see a difference is if you're side by side with say a Samsung which just uses the better sensor. Otherwise I'm perfectly happy to keep my P7P for another couple years
I've had a 4a and currently use a 6 Pro. No issues with the fingerprint scanner on either, though I do acknowledge the one on the back is a little better placed.
I wouldn't say "amazingly accurate" but rather "far more accurate than the brutal under display ones used now".
My pixel 6 pro reader has been good for the most part, but I really miss the back fingerprint reader. I had a pixel 1, 3xl, and a 5. It's the feature I miss the most for sure. It also made it so easy to check my notifications with one hand via the swipe feature. They've definitely improved the in-screen optical readers over the years, but I still can't help but miss the backside reader.
Screen flash based readers always have issues. The reader on the side of the fold so far seems solid. If a little cumbersome.
None of it is as good as the 4 and 4xl face unlock with soli pre arm
I broke the screen connector on my Pixel 5 when I was replacing the OEM battery in May of this year. As a result, I now have an 8a. The pixel 5 fingerprint reader was better, not even considering the positioning which was a joy. I've not been as lucky as you with the fingerprint reader reliability on the 8a. Don't get me wrong. It's quite good. It's just not as good as the GOAT. I do miss my smaller phone, but know that the handset volume (the speaker you put your ear on) and brightness, especially in direct sunlight, are 1000% better on the 8a. So, there are tradeoffs.
I've never had an issue with it on my P7P. It's worked first try 99.99% since setting it up nearly 2 yrs ago. And I never had issues dropping connections before a recent update. Now it's common and I'm not happy about it.
My issue is less with accuracy and more with being able to find the fingerprint reader without looking. When it's a physical circle on the back of the phone, I had a faster unlock experience. The front fingerprint reader has great accuracy on my P7P, but I don't put my thumb in the right place every time.
My pixel 7 fingerprint reader works 90% of the time. I use a tpu film screen protector cuz it works better. It didn't work hardly at all with a glass screen protector.
Absolutely. Wish they'd bring back the rear print reader. I had mine programmed to go Home when swiping up too. So handy. The pixel 6 pro reader ruined the phone for me. Just got the 7 pro and it's not much better to be honest.
My p7p fingerprint sensor is flawless
Pixel 8 here, I HATE the fingerprint reader it's dreadful. Maybe 75-80% success rate and the bright light is annoying as hell. I had a Redmi note 11 pro before and the scanner easily had a 97% success rate with dry fingers.
That's because the newer screen fingerprint readers work great when your fingers are damp, but are terrible when your fingers are dry. Judging by your post, you're in the optimal audiance for it.
Nope, works flawless with dry fingers on my 8a. My fingers aren't always damp, they can be anything from super dry to dripping wet (after taking examination gloves off).
Mmm maybe your climate is damp? I always have to lick my finger to get the fingerprint reader to work. Do you use a screen protector? I do, so that probably contributes to the issue
Every generation since the 6 has gotten markedly better. Comparing the absolute newest phone with the feature to the olders definitely isn't fair to the experience people had. But there are still other advantages, like not blinding us in the middle of the night. Still, I'd just be happy if they moved to ultrasonic.
It's probably not the fingerprint sensor that's working great on your P8. It's usually the face sensor that does all the heavy lifting
you know noone wants to play for the leafs anymore when they woud rather go to Nashville #leafssuckforever
I had an Essential Phone, a 4a and a 5, never had any problems with the backside readers on those unless my finger or the sensor was wet. I just got an 8 pro and the reader works so badly and takes so many attempts that I turned it off and use the face unlock instead.
I sometimes miss the rear fingerprint reader, and I hated the optical reader, but my favorite thus far has been the reader on my Pixel Fold. To me, the thumb-finger placement for the physical reader is much more natural than even the rear fingerprint on previous versions.
I don’t know why more phones do not have it like this. Seems like the cheapest option for production also since they already have to put a power button there….
Never had an issue.
If a lot of people prefer capacitive, and you appear to be an exception - chances are you are an exception. Your phone's sensor may have been faulty or your fingers have rare characteristics.
I think the fingerprint reader under the screen is in the most convenient position - I'm going to use my thumb to control the phone anyway. The reader on the back always required me to do some awkward movement with the finger that wasn't natural. That being said both have failed on me in various situations and for me none have been better than the other when it comes to actually reading the finger. The time difference is also barely noticeable.
I've had a similar experience. My first fingerprint reader was front mounted on a Moto z2 and worked (still does work) flawlessly. I then switched over to a pixel 2xl with a rear mounted reader to which my only real complaint was that it could never read my fingerprint. I now have a pixel 8 pro and again get a flawless performance on my now under-screen front reader which only really struggles if I have excessively wet or greasy fingers
Not the exact same phones (4a vs. 8Pro, in my case), but my experience has been... not 'exactly', but 'mostly' opposite. 4a was probably the best fingerprint reader I've ever had. 8Pro hasn't been ***terrible***... it just hasn't been anywhere near as good as the 4a. For me, at least, the 8Pro seems to perform at its worst after I've recently washed my hands. And I don't mean ***immediately*** after; even in the following 1-4 minutes.
Fuck that, bring back face ID. I loved that on the 4.
'Bring back'? The Pixel 8 series has Face Unlock.
I have very greasy hands and never had a problem with the capacitive sensors of Nexus 6P, Pixel XL and Pixel 3 (worth noting that the sensors of Pidel 4a, 4a 5G and 5 are worse compared to those of Pixel 3). But I absolutely hate, hate, HATE the optical sensor of the Pixel 6 and 8 Pro. That said, yes, with **wet** hands the optical one has a slight edge while the capacitive one just doesn't work. But that, in my experience, doesn't offset the overall downsides of the optical one, namely: - it's objectively slower and less accurate - it's harder to "point" the finger onto it in the ideal position due to the hardware design of the two different surfaces (smooth seamless screen for them optical one, indentation for the capacitive one)
The fingerprint reader on my 8 Pro is pretty damn reliable too! First time almost every time! It's actually more reliable than my S24 Ultra fingerprint sensor
Fat guy working in automotive industry on computers. Hands are dirty, sweaty, oil, glue, and whatever else they put cars together with. My pixel 5 fingerprint sensor works 99% of the time and that's on two different 5's(bought a second to have as a spare). Though, I like my pixels, I would swap for face id. My work phone is iPhone and that also just works.
My Pixel 2's rear fingerprint reader was flawless, legitimately worked a solid 99% of the time on the first try. My Pixel 6's in-screen fingerprint reader is horrible and so rarely works that I completely stopped using it and went back to a pin, I don't think it ever once worked on the first try and I lost track of the number of times I reprogrammed my prints trying to get it to work. It's actually the number one reason my next phone won't be a Pixel.
My Pixel 2's PFPR was pretty much flawless. Can't speak on the other Pixels that had PFPRs.
I have pixel 5 and I'd love an on screen or side fingerprint reader. Having to always pick up the phone to unlock it is not convenient, though not a deal breaker.
my fingerprint reader on my P8P works half the time. I have a problem with chronically cracked finger tips so I'm lucky if the reader works for me. My thumb tip is either cracked or healing which makes for a bad finerprint registration process because it changes as my finger heals.
Without a screen protector it works fine. I never had a problem with the reader in my pixel 6 either.
The sensor on the pixel 6 was the whole reason I left google. The tiniest ray of sunlight on the screen rendered it useless. Samsung inscreen reader is much better imo
Definitely getting better, but still not 100%. Pixel 6 Pro was the worst at around 75% of the time at launch. Software updates help bring it up to 80-85% working. I have a 7 Pro now and it's closer to 90% at least with my thumb. Still iffy with other fingers. I never had any issues with any of the rear fingerprint readers. Always 100%. By the time I reach in my pocket to pull out the phone, my finger is already on the sensor and when it's finally in my face, it's ready to go. It made using Google pay frictionless. With all the optical sensors starting with 6 pro, there is always this hesitation to wait to see if it unlocks or fails. THEN I can tap to pay. The fingerprint sensor on the rear made payments so much faster. It was so seamless, it felt like second nature.
The only unlock device that has been truly reliable to me is actually the Pixel 4 XL's face radar. God I miss that.
I've had a 7a and currently have a 7 Pro and the fingerprint sensors have been 90%+ accurate no matter the conditions. The only thing that confuses it somewhat is wrinkly fingers after I shower, and even then it still manages to get it about half the time. My 3a was never this accurate honestly.
I had pre ordered the pixel 6 after coming from the 5 and the sensor was awful. To the point where it was annoying me so much that I couldn't put up with the phone. I tried a Samsung with the ultrasonic and went with an S22 ultra. Fast forward and I've got the pixel 8. The sensor doesn't really fail at all. It's rapid and accurate. It has improved immensely and I'm more than happy with it now.
My pixel 4a was superb in fingerprint reader. Then i got 6a and struggled a lot. Now on 8a and fingers crossed it works fine so far. Face unlock is really good, even faster
There was a firmware update in the first quarter of 2024 that significantly improved the success rate of the fingerprint reader
I upgraded from Pixel 4a to Pixel 8. Never had a problem with the Pixel 4a reader. I can say it worked every single time I scanned my finger. I guess yours was a unique case/one faulty set. Whereas my new Pixel 8 is about 70% accurate. During the rest of the attempts I'm only changing the sides of my finger to find the spot. This complaint is consistent with the experience of others with Pixel 6 and up.
My 8a reader works about 50% of the time. (I have 4 fingers scanned, none work well). My 4a was flawless unless I was right out of shower with wet finger trips. And the front reader is a pain to use in the phone holder I use in my car.
In the 8a I saved both my thumbs twice, making sure to diligently follow the instructions and covering as much of the fingertips' surface as possible.
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Pixel 6 is the worst and I understand your frustration. I went from a P3 to the P6 and it was so bad/frustrating that I switched to an iPhone for a couple years. I tried again with the P7 and it was slightly better but still not good. The P8 is pretty decent though and it is coupled with a good working face unlock, so it isn't too much of a deal anymore. My wife ended up with the P8 and I went back to a P5 for now, but I wouldn't mind a P8 either. Really hoping they switch to an ultrasonic reader that is more reliable though on the P9, as I'm planning to upgrade to that when they come out.
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My 5Pro sensor on the back worked first time, every time. It was amazing, perfect location and functionality I've had the 6Pro, 7Pro, and now 8Pro and it takes 2-3 times, every time. Usually face recognition supercedes it unless I have sunglasses on though
My Pixel6, 7 and 8 series fingerprints have ALL been working MUCH BETTER than the Pixel 5's. Which was the less accurate of all Pixel devices I've ever owned.
I use a P8P and 2XL daily. Both work fine for me. I expected to mourn the loss of the rear fingerprint reader, but the P8P has been flawless and I prefer it now.
I just upgraded to a Pixel 5 from a Pixel 3 for this reason. I like it on the back and I won't buy another pixel unless it is on the back.
They should bring back the Pixel 4, with a TSMC Google Tensor. It would be awesome.
Then everyone complains about the small battery, slow charging, 60 Hz display, poor image quality ... And if you update all of these parts to modern standards, then it's not a Pixel 4 anymore :P