Here’s why the fingerprint reader on the Google Pixel 6 is painfully slow at times
There’s a setting you can change to make it better though.
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Google’s flagship Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro devices launched with mostly positive reviews, but there are still a few minor annoyances. One of the biggest is that the under-screen fingerprint reader is “finicky” or otherwise slow to use.
Apparently, that’s the expected behavior, as Google has been telling some users that the fingerprint sensor is using “enhanced security algorithms” that can take longer to read your fingerprint or need better contact.
Yes, the official word at this moment boils down to “you’re holding it correctly, it’s just slow.”
That performance could be improved with some tweaks to the Pixel 6’s software, as the OnePlus 9 uses a similar optical sensor and is much faster to recognize fingerprints.
There is something you can do to help, however. While it’s not a true fix, it will still help with some of the annoyances you may encounter.
How to make the Pixel 6’s fingerprint recognition more usable
This setting was intended for use with a screen protector, to increase the performance of the whole touchscreen. It has been confirmed to improve the fingerprint reader’s sensitivity as well, by ZAKtalksTech.
We should caution that this is likely a temporary fix until Google tweaks the software on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to make the fingerprint sensor faster.
The fingerprint sensor being slow-feeling isn’t the only glitch on Google’s new flagships. They have an odd screen issue where it flickers when the power button is pressed, but only if the handset is powered down.
The newest glitch seems to be butt-dials, but some users are reporting that their brand-new Pixel 6 handsets are randomly calling contacts even while the user is asleep. Oops.
The good news here is that these issues all seem to be ones that can be fixed in software. Hopefully, Google identifies the root causes soon so their otherwise-happy Pixel customers get more reason to smile.
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Editors’ Recommendations:
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- iPhone 13s are in such high demand that Apple has cut back on iPad production
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