The screen unlock method is almost essential so that no one can access our phone. And, among them, the fingerprint reader has become one of the most loved among users. But what happens when it stops working? We can be calm because this error can be solved, which, most likely, was a specific problem.
It doesn’t matter if we have a high-end smartphone or the cheapest in the catalog of any mobile brand. This problem with the fingerprint sensor on the phone screen can appear at any time. For this reason, we are going to recommend different alternatives that you should try on your own, so that, finally, it will work again without any type of error.
Re-register the fingerprint
Before getting fully into the problem, the first thing we should try to find the solution to this error to unlock our terminal will be to reconfigure the fingerprint . For some other reason, the truth is that it may have been misaligned, causing it to not be able to unlock the device no matter how much we try our luck with our finger. Therefore, before proceeding to deduce that it is a terminal touch panel error, it will be better to access the phone with the alternative pattern or PIN to follow these steps:
- Access the mobile settings .
- Enter the Security section (or similar, since it will depend on the software layer of your terminal).
- Click on the Fingerprint option.
- Enter your PIN or password and delete the ones you had registered .
- Finally, configure it from scratch .
- We place the chosen finger in the place on the screen where the reader is.
- We have to repeatedly lift the finger and place it until the recognition is complete.
- To do this, all lines must be complete.
Now, we can check the added fingerprints within this smartphone fingerprint menu. In this way, we will review first-hand if the mobile screen reader works again or continues to fail on the Android device. If so, it is time to see if it is a problem with the phone screen or with the mobile software itself.
Is it the fault of the screen?
If after adding this panel unlock method again, it still fails. The problem may be in the display of the device. So it is time to rule out whether or not it is a hardware error . To find out if the real culprit is the phone screen, we will have two options available on all Android mobiles.
take a quiz
There are certain tools, both internal to the system and third-party tools, to clear up any doubts. Although, we will opt for the first alternative, which we find in all Android mobiles. In order to access this tool that we find on all Android mobiles, we will have to follow a series of steps:
- First you will have to enter the Settings .
- Enter the About Phone tab (this step will change depending on the mobile’s personalization layer).
- Click 7 times on Build number .
- At that time, we will have activated the Development Options, a section that we will later find in the System section.
- Once inside we will have to go to the Pointer location function and activate its switch.
From that moment on, we will see horizontal and vertical lines, which mark our journey through the phone display, as well as precise lines in all the areas we touch. This will allow us to accurately test all touch points on the device screen. If we see interruptions where the fingerprint reader is, we will know for sure that our panel is failing and where the problem is specifically. In the event that everything is fine, it is most likely the fault of the protector that we have on or of software.
Try without the protector
For a lot of technology and advances, the truth is that, since the fingerprint reader is under the panel, if we put some type of protector that is not of high quality, it can interfere to a certain extent. So if it doesn’t work for you, or you can’t even get it to work for you, it may be due to the protection we’re using for the screen itself.
To confirm that this is the main culprit of the problem, all we have to do is remove it and test if the sensor works without this accessory on. If it works well for you, you already know that the one you had is not compatible with the fingerprint reader on your mobile. And it is that, if the protection that we have bought and put on the phone is too thick, it could affect the operation of the fingerprint sensor of the mobile panel.
The screen works, it’s the fault of the software
After ruling out that it is due to a hardware problem, that is, the touch screen of the smartphone. It is time to try to find the software failure to solve it and get again that we can unlock the mobile with the fingerprint sensor on the display. For this, we still have several methods with which we can solve this error with the fingerprint reader on the phone’s panel.
restart the smartphone
Sometimes, due to the cache of the smartphone, some of the different internal processes of the Android device can get caught. For this reason, and although it seems like something of the most basic, it will be a good idea to try restarting the mobile before moving on to the following solutions. The good thing about this action is that it will only take a few seconds and it can be done in different ways. Although, the fastest, will be as follows:
- Press the power button .
- Click on the option to turn off the phone .
- Let it sit for 20-30 seconds and turn it back on.
update the phone
The updates of our mobiles are very important so that security errors can be corrected and also to protect ourselves, but also to improve the results of blocking by fingerprint. For this reason, it is time to check if we have any pending firmware for the mobile. To do this, we only have to follow a fairly quick and simple process:
- First of all, go to Settings.
- Then scroll down until you see the System option.
- Within this menu, tap on the updates tab.
- Now, we check if we have one available. If so, we download and install it.
Try safe mode
With the safe mode of the mobile, there are many users who have been able to solve this failure of the fingerprint reader . And it is that, in other cases, an application is the one that could be preventing its proper functioning, so, with this tool, all the apps that we have installed will be disabled. In this way, we can quickly check if it goes normally again. To enter this mode, we will have to follow these steps:
- First, press and hold the power off phone button .
- Within the Android on/off menu, click on Turn on or off.
- Press and hold the Restart option.
- Keep it pressed until a message appears on the phone in which it warns us that it is going to restart in safe mode.
Once the device restarts again, and by itself, we can proceed to check if the screen fingerprint reader works without problems on the phone. In addition, once we have verified it, we will only have to uninstall the last installed apps and make sure that this failure does not repeat itself again. To get out of this mode, it will be as simple as restarting the smartphone again.
Reset the mobile
It is also possible that a bad system update or even some malware that has infected the phone is the main cause of this error. For what it will be, we will have to go on to let the device be formatted. Although, before carrying it out we advise you to make a backup of the smartphone. Later, we can do it with small changes in the Android customization layers, although in general the steps to follow are the following, yes, some of these could vary depending on the customization layer.
- Access the terminal settings .
- Click on the System / Additional configuration section.
- Go to the Reset Options / Backup and reset tab.
- We choose Reset all phone data / Return to factory state.
- Lastly, tap on Clear All Data .
Go to a technical service
Finally, if after all, the mobile fingerprint reader still does not respond, we must go to a technical service to find the problem and correct it. The fault may not be in the display, but in the sensor itself in charge of reading our finger. So we will only have to go to this specialized service.
Of course, if it has suddenly started to give an error, and it is not due to a blow, fall or misuse , it could be covered by the guarantee. So it will be good for you to ask if it is still within the period to claim it and check if it covers the repair costs. In any case, if after having carried out all these methods it has not worked for you, we will have no choice but to go to the technical service.