Google Pixel Phones Are Getting Better Fingerprint Sensors

Android 16 will bring a convenient feature to Pixel users: fingerprint unlocking can also be used when the screen is off. This feature is easy to enable in settings and will provide a smooth unlocking experience.

This feature now supports Pixel phones equipped with optical scanners, and previously, mobile phones such as Samsung have taken the lead in applying similar technologies.

Pixel phones equipped with on-screen fingerprint scanners have long had a significant problem—the screen must be lit before the fingerprint scanner can be used. Now, the Pixel phone will address this limitation and you can enjoy this feature without having to replace it with a new Pixel phone.

The upcoming Android 16 update will allow Pixel users to enable fingerprint unlocking with screen off. When enabled, even if the screen is completely off, users simply press the registered fingerprint to the fingerprint scan area on the Pixel display to unlock it. There will be no visual prompts to indicate the position of the press when the screen is turned off, but for users who are used to using this feature on Samsung phones, muscle memory will quickly make the operation easy.

After Android 16 was officially released, the process of enabling this feature is very simple. First, open the Settings app; then, click "Security and Privacy" and select "Device Unlock"; then select "Face and Fingerprint Unlock", and then select "Fingerprint Unlock"; finally, find and enable the switch called "Fingerprint Unlock with Screen Off" in the "When Using Fingerprint Unlock" section. When this switch is enabled, the fingerprint scanner will remain active even if the display is turned off.

Related ###### Android 16 Beta 3 is released, the official version is coming soon

Platform stability has been achieved.

Related Articles Currently, you can only use the fingerprint scanner with the screen off when the screen is turned off when using the "Screen Display" function, because the "Screen Display" will display a visual prompt prompting you to press your fingerprint to unlock your phone. But this has been missing on Pixel phones. Samsung phones have had this feature for many years, but Samsung has been using ultrasonic fingerprint scanners for years. Like used on older Pixel phones and other Android phones, the optical fingerprint scanner will light up to capture your fingerprint using an embedded sensor. Ultrasonic scanners, on the other hand, use sound waves to capture traces on fingerprints.

Ultrasonic scanners don't actually need to light up any pixels to capture fingerprints, which is why they work with the screen off on Samsung phones. However, the Google Pixel 9 series also switched to ultrasonic fingerprint scanners, but they won't work with the screen off anyway. Google is addressing this limitation with the upcoming Android 16 update. This feature has been added to the Pixel 9 phone in the second developer preview of Android 16, but as of the latest Beta update, it has been applied to all eligible Pixel phones with on-screen fingerprint scanners, even if they use optical scanners.

Technically, there is nothing to stop a phone equipped with an optical fingerprint scanner from scanning fingerprints with the screen off. If it detects that your finger is touching in or around the fingerprint scanner area, it can start lighting up the white light needed to capture the fingerprint. This is not as smooth as an ultrasonic scanner, but it should be easy to use.

This feature is available in Android 16 Beta, and should be available to all users once Android 16 is officially updated to eligible Pixel phones. This feature is currently completed, so it shouldn't be waiting too long.

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