Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint![Problem Solved]

[isabel95]

I noticed the other day that when I picked up the phone with my left hand - thumb on the reader, the phone opened.

I have registered my right thumb.

Why would the fingerprint reader allow access with the wrong fingerprint?

 

[B. Diddy]

re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

Does it consistently open with your left thumb? Fingerprint readers (especially the kind on a power button) aren't 100% accurate -- they can still be fooled on occasion by just the right placement of a finger that's close enough to the registered fingerprint.

 

[mustang7757]

re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

Clear out the fingerprint and re-register again see if it's ok

 

[Mike Dee]

re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

Does it consistently open with your left thumb? Fingerprint readers (especially the kind on a power button) aren't 100% accurate -- they can still be fooled on occasion by just the right placement of finger that's close enough to the registered fingerprint.

Yeah....have to wonder that on the S10E since the FPS is so small

 

[isabel95]

re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

I can open the phone with any finger on the power button. I cleared out the old fingerprint scans and made a new one.

Isabel

 

[mustang7757]

re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

I can open the phone with any finger on the power button. I cleared out the old fingerprint scans and made a new one.

Isabel

Do you use face Id?

 

[isabel95]

re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

Do you use face Id?

No...I don't use face ID. I have fingerprint and Pin number.

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

After re-saving your fingerprint, does it work normally?

 

[isabel95]

Re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

No...not normal behavior. Still opens with any finger on the power button.

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

Re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

I looked on the Samsung forums and although I can't find your precise problem, other people have had problems with their sensors not working properly as well.

https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5...S10e-Fingerprint-sensor-problems/td-p/1367789

Not sure if it's a hardware failure or not. How long have you owned your phone? Is it still under warranty? Or do you have phone insurance?

 

[isabel95]

Re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

I looked on the Samsung forums and although I can't find your precise problem, other people have had problems with their sensors not working properly as well.

https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5...S10e-Fingerprint-sensor-problems/td-p/1367789

Not sure if it's a hardware failure or not. How long have you owned your phone? Is it still under warranty? Or do you have phone insurance?

I bought the phone in October 2019 at Best Buy in Arden, North Carolina. There's a salesperson there, Louise, who is the most knowledgeable and helpful. Sure beats buying at Verizon!

The last thing I want to have to do is a factory reset.

Even if they replaced it I'd have to go through all the setup again!

 

[mustang7757]

Re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

I forget this sensor on the s10e is on the side power button, you try cleaning it? Wipe it down rubbing alcohol maybe something sticky and keeping your print there, long shot but see

 

[Mike Dee]

Re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

I forget this sensor on the s10e is on the side power button, you try cleaning it? Wipe it down rubbing alcohol maybe something sticky and keeping your print there, long shot but see

A static image cant fool a capacitive FPS and hence it's very secure. There's something else at play here.



https://www.androidauthority.com/how-fingerprint-scanners-work-670934/

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

Re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

I know you don't want to start again. Maybe they can fix the phone under warranty for you.

 

[mustang7757]

Re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

A static image cant fool a capacitive FPS and hence it's very secure. There's something else at play here.



https://www.androidauthority.com/how-fingerprint-scanners-work-670934/

Well we know what manufacturers say and real world works out to be.

https://securityboulevard.com/2020/04/broken-biometrics-fingerprint-readers-spoofed-80-of-the-time/

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/20...fingerprint-reader-beaten-by-3-gel-protector/


Got some links also to refresh your memory, but I did also say it was a long shot to try cleaning it no? Could very well be something else like a defective sensor.

 

[Mike Dee]

Re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

Well we know what manufacturers say and real world works out to be.

https://securityboulevard.com/2020/04/broken-biometrics-fingerprint-readers-spoofed-80-of-the-time/

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/20...fingerprint-reader-beaten-by-3-gel-protector/


Got some links also to refresh your memory, but I did also say it was a long shot to try cleaning it no? Could very well be something else like a defective sensor.

The article I posted wasn't written by a manufacturer. The links you posted cover the iPhone 5S which was a primitive attempt, it also covers broken FPS or the S10 Ultrasonic by using a silicon protector.

You can't fool current capacitive with prosthetics or a fake print because instead of creating a traditional image of a fingerprint, capacitive fingerprint scanners use arrays tiny capacitor circuits to collect data about a fingerprint. As capacitors can store electrical charge, connecting them up to conductive plates on the surface of the scanner allows them to be used to track the details of a fingerprint. It's the same biometrics we used in our Nuclear facility only we used all 5 fingers of a hand at the same time.

I would suggest at this point the OP either should try a factory reset or an exchange.

 

[mustang7757]

Re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

The article I posted wasn't written by a manufacturer. The links you posted cover the iPhone 5S which was a primitive attempt, it also covers broken FPS or the S10 Ultrasonic by using a silicon protector.

You can't fool current capacitive with prosthetics or a fake print because instead of creating a traditional image of a fingerprint, capacitive fingerprint scanners use arrays tiny capacitor circuits to collect data about a fingerprint. As capacitors can store electrical charge, connecting them up to conductive plates on the surface of the scanner allows them to be used to track the details of a fingerprint. It's the same biometrics we used in our Nuclear facility only we used all 5 fingers of a hand at the same time.

I would suggest at this point the OP either should try a factory reset or an exchange.

Thank you inspector gadget, looks like your investigation is done )

 

[isabel95]

Re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

Problem solved!
A visit to UBreakIFix in Arden, North Carolina, an authorized Samsung repair center, discovered that under Lock Screen and Secure Lock settings I had 30 minutes checked until the screen would lock. I don't remember going to that setting since I bought the phone, but after I changed it to lock automatically in 5 seconds, it's working fine and no one else can open my phone.

PHEW!

 

[mustang7757]

Re: Suddenly, phone opens with wrong fingerprint!

That's great, yeah makes sense now, thank you for the follow up, I edit the thread as solved.

 

[B. Diddy]

Hah, good catch! I shoulda thought of that.