Is Pixel 7 fingerprint scanner really that bad?

GeneralVerdacht

I made the logical observation that dry hands or wahsing your hands very often due to work requirements are problematic for the fingerprint reader in general. I assume adding a screen protector will not increase the succession rate either.

sidenote: also its not recommended to add multiple fingerprints of the same finger as this will reduce the uniquness of the fingerprint.

GrouchyGrape

I use a screen protector on my 7 pro. Have had the phone over a year with virtually no issues. I almost never have to enter my pin unless in out in the rain with my phone or something that extreme

Blastoidea

I think it depends on your fingers.

Some folks have more trouble than others.

spl4tt

I've never really had problems with the 7 Pro, and the 8 Pro feels exactly the same. It is quite slow, but it's fast enough for normal daily use for me.l
Also, I never have to re-record my fingerprint.

I don't know man. Do you really scan every part of your finger when recording it?

Arnauld

traveller I have the same issue on my Pixel 7.

p338k

I don't have much trouble on a Pixel 8, but I can't compare that to Pixel 7. It is nearly as reliable as my Pixel 5 even with a screen protector.

gosrox

I have thought about smashing my fist through the phone because of how bad the finger print reader is. Going from a perfectly working one in iphone to this horrendous pos was a huge loss. I have missed important timed stuff because the stupid finger print reader could not unlock for a bunch of tries then I had to embarrassingly input my long password. Which can also be picked up by cctv btw. Calendar alerts by fossify calendar are the worst. You need to unlock your phone to dismiss them and they ring loud. I had meetings interrupted. I will be going back to iphone just because of this pos fingerprint reader if they do not fix it by 2027 when removable batteries are also supposed to be added. Until then I will use this terrible 7 Pro with its busted ass fingerprint reader.

alex_herrero

Can't relate as my Pixel 7 is working great with my fingerprints.

spiral

It's not terrible, you just have to make sure that you properly set your fingerprint up in the first place.

traveller

spiral are there any specific tips? I do it according to the guide, even scanning my finger several times (as separate fingerprints). First it works, then it gradually starts to malfunction over time.

itsjpb I do, but these cameras nowadays have high resolution so they can see the pinpad layout. And typing in a way so they can't see which buttons I press (pointing the screen downwards) is not the best user experience.

itsjpb

traveller So basically I end up entering my passcode almost every time, which poses a risk of CCTV cameras recording it.

do you use the PIN shuffler? eliminates cctv concerns at least

Eagle_Owl

traveller
Sounds like you are using more as the owner profile.
Seems to be a bug of AOSP or the hardware, not saving the fingerprints really correct if it isn't the owner profile.

If you have this experience, then don't use a second profile anymore and the problem will disappear.
Crazy, but that's my experience.

traveller

Oddly, after the last GrapheneOS update fingerprint started to work better.
Also it seems that the problem with mandatory pin requirement when switching profiles is now gone too! (earlier fingerprint stopped working when I switched between profiles, and had to enter pin code)

Thanks to whoever did that.

Eagle_Owl

traveller
Good to know!
Maybe I give it a new try on my second device Pixel 7 Pro just for fun. :-)

spammerofspam

I haven't had to re-add fingers, but I am not impressed with the fingerprint reader. It works most of the time indoors, but if the screen is in the sunlight, the fingerprint reader almost never works. I am using a screen protector, so it's possible this is related.

Eagle_Owl

traveller
A few months and many GOS updates ago, I was using a second profile on the Pixel 7 Pro.
Then the fingerprint recognition suddenly stopped working on the second profile and because there was no improvement through updates, I deleted the second profile and have only been using the owner profile since then.
On the Pixel 8 Pro I bought afterwards, I didn't even try to check whether anything had improved, as I no longer need Google services (originally the reason for a second profile).

Conclusion: as long as no additional profile is created, the fingerprint scanner (with stored index fingers) works very well, also depending on the texture of the skin, as already mentioned by others above.

Whatsthepoint

Same problem here. But then, apparently a lot of people with Pixel 7's and Google's OS have the same issue.

What makes me wonder if this may be a software issue: fingerprint authenticated third party apps work fine, just the fingerprint phone unlock sucks.
I would be surprised if third party apps were not simply referring to the OS fingerprint applet and hence the experience should be the same but it simply isn't at all.