AndroidAnswers

How do I fix Android fingerprint not working?

By the AndroidAnswers Editorial Team · Updated

About 5 minutes · Basics & setup

Illustration of a phone showing a fingerprint icon, with a lock on one side and a check mark on the other

Steps to check

  1. Unlock with your PIN, then clean and press firmly

    Use your backup PIN, pattern, or password to get into the phone. Wipe the display (or side button sensor) and your fingertip. Place the same finger you enrolled and press firmly until the phone unlocks. Pixel asks you to press and hold on under-display sensors. Dry, wet, or very cold fingers often fail until they are closer to normal.

    Samsung Cover the whole sensor area. Hold the phone the same way you did when you registered the print. Avoid unlocking while wireless charging if scans keep failing.Pixel On Pixel 6 and later, firmly press and hold on the under-display sensor. In bright sun, shade the sensor with your hand.

  2. Check the screen protector and case

    A thick or uncertified screen protector is one of the most common reasons fingerprint unlock stops working. Temporarily remove the protector and any case that covers the sensor, then try again. If scans improve, re-enroll fingerprints with the protector you plan to keep, or switch to a protector made for your model. Pixel recommends Made for Google certified protectors; Samsung notes non-Samsung protectors can interfere.

    Samsung Some Galaxy phones ship with a thin factory protector that works with the in-screen sensor. A second protector stacked on top often causes failures.Pixel If you add or change a protector, delete fingerprints and add them again. Avoid air bubbles over the sensor area.

  3. Update system software

    Install any available system update, then restart and try fingerprint again. Sensor bugs after an update are often fixed in a later patch. Keep using your PIN until the update finishes.

    Samsung Settings → Software update (or System updates) → Download and install.Pixel Settings → System → System update → Check for update.

  4. Delete and re-enroll your fingerprints

    Open fingerprint settings, remove the saved prints that fail, then add them again. Hold the phone naturally. Move your finger slightly between taps so edges and tips are captured. Register more than one finger if the phone allows it. On newer Samsung One UI versions, follow on-screen swipe guidance when the phone asks you to swipe across the sensor.

    Samsung Settings → Security and privacy → Screen lock and biometrics (or Biometrics) → Fingerprints. Enter your PIN, remove a print, then Add fingerprint.Pixel Settings → Security & privacy → Device unlock → Fingerprint (or Fingerprint & Face Unlock). Delete, then Add fingerprint.

  5. Adjust always-on or touch settings if scans feel random

    If the phone unlocks by accident or shows fingerprint recognition failed while idle, turn off Fingerprint always on (Samsung) or review Touch to unlock anytime (Pixel Fold side sensor). These options change when the sensor listens. After a restart, many phones require your PIN once before fingerprint works again. That is normal.

  6. When to use PIN only and ask for repair

    If fingerprint still fails after cleaning, removing the protector, updating, and re-enrolling, keep using your PIN or pattern. Deep scratches, a damaged display, or a failed sensor need repair. Contact Samsung, Google, Motorola, or your carrier. Do not factory reset only for fingerprint until support asks you to, and back up first if you do.

Normal vs. not

Usually normal

Needing your PIN after a restart, after several failed fingerprint tries, or when you have not unlocked with the backup method for a long stretch. Slightly slower scans with a certified screen protector.

Worth a closer look

No response from the sensor after re-enrollment with the protector removed, fingerprint options missing from Settings, or the same failure in Safe mode after a clean re-enroll.

What people are saying

Common questions

Why did fingerprint stop after I put on a screen protector?

The protector can sit too far from the under-display sensor or block a side sensor. Remove it to test, then re-enroll fingerprints with a protector made for your phone model.

Do I lose my PIN if I delete fingerprints?

No. Your PIN, pattern, or password stays. Fingerprints are only an extra unlock method. You need the backup lock to change biometric settings.

Can dry hands break fingerprint unlock?

Very dry or wet fingers often fail to scan. Moisturize lightly and wipe residue off the screen, or wait until your hands are neither soaking wet nor cracked and dry, then try again.

Sources we checked

Menu names can differ by phone brand and Android version. See our editorial policy for how we check steps.