Fix In-Display and Physical Fingerprint Sensors Not Working

Problem overview

The fingerprint scanner fails to recognize your finger, takes multiple attempts to unlock, or refuses to register new fingerprints entirely.

Common causes

• Dirt, oil, or moisture on the sensor or your finger
• Incompatible or scratched screen protectors (for under-display sensors)
• Changes in your fingerprint due to weather (dry skin) or manual labor
• Software glitches requiring re-registration

Solution 1: Clean the sensor and re-register

1. Wipe the fingerprint sensor (and your finger) with a clean microfiber cloth.
2. Go to Settings > Security & privacy > Device unlock > Fingerprint.
3. Enter your PIN.
4. Delete all existing saved fingerprints.
5. Tap Add fingerprint and carefully follow the prompts. Register the same finger twice as separate entries for better accuracy.

Solution 2: Check screen protector compatibility

1. If you have an under-display sensor, ensure your screen protector is certified by the phone manufacturer.
2. If you recently applied a cheap tempered glass protector, it may be too thick. Remove it and test the sensor on the bare glass.
3. If the phone works flawlessly without the protector, purchase a thinner film protector or an explicitly compatible UV-cured glass protector.

Solution 3: Clear system cache

1. If the sensor hardware is completely unresponsive (no vibration or animation when touched), a software crash might be the culprit.
2. Restart the phone.
3. If a restart fails, back up your data and perform a factory reset to determine if the hardware ribbon cable has failed and requires physical repair.