OT: Fingerprint recognition oddity

[Tim+]

I was re-stacking a lot of dry firewood the other day and afterwards I couldn?t unlock my Samsung phone using the fingerprint sensor.

I wasn?t *that* surprised but then I realised that my iPad was unlocking entirely normally using its fingerprint sensor which made me wonder if my phone was faulty.

I tried deleting my stored fingerprints and reprogramming it from scratch but it took ages for it to recognised my ?new? fingerprint.

The following day I did the reprogramming again and this time it had no trouble detecting my finger and has worked fine since. Clearly there must be some significant differences in the systems used by the two devices.

Anyone else come across this?

Tim

[Chris Hogg]

Question (from someone who only has the most basic and primitive mobile phone, 20 years old): If it's relatively easy to delete a stored fingerprint and reprogramme a new one, it's going to be just as easy for anyone who nicks it, so what's the point of it?

[Richard]

The user has to log in using a password and also to change the fingerprint/iris/face recognition.

[Tim+]

Um, they have to unlock it first AND know your PIN before they can change it.

Tim

[Murmansk]

I had a similar experience recently with my Honor Play which, when reviewed, was said to have an excellent fingerprint reader and I've certainly found it very good.

It wouldn't let me in one day and I had to use a pattern I have set up instead. It worked OK again next day. I hadn't been doing anything that could have affected my fingerprint as far as I could remember.

[Andy Burns]

Yes, several times I've "worn off" my fingerprints, such that phone/laptop don't recognise them, always register an extra finger such as your little finger that's less likely to get worn.

[Jake56]

On what phone model ?

[Jake56]

No it isnt, because they need the passcode to reset it and don't have it.

You can use a non trivial passcode because you hardly ever need to use it because the fingerprint works almost all the time.

[Chris Hogg]

Ah! So it's either fingerprint or passcode to use the phone, but the former for speed and simplicity. Thank you all.

[Adrian Caspersz]

A friend had her fingerprints worn off by over enthusiastic use of something while doing a cleaning job.

On a holiday in the the US, at immigration, her fingerprints wouldn't initially register on the reader.

She was advised to run her fingers through her hair. The 'oil' helped.

[Cynic]

My Samsung won't recognise my thumbprint if it's wet. Not a problem to swipe and use my password on the occasion it happens.

[Pamela]

I sometimes see movies where villains chop off the good guy's finger to gain entry to a nuclear bunker. Are criminals desperate enough to do that in real life?

Scientists say it doesn't actually work but there's enough crazies out there to try anything.

[Bob Eager]

In Dan Brown's Digital Fortress, they remove a guy's eye for a retinal print.

[John Rumm]

ISTR a suggestion that if you don't want US authorities to get into the phone, delete the finger prints... Since they can't coerce you to reveal a pin, but that can force you to use your finger to unlock a device.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa)]

Be interesting to see if the new Iphone with finger id not face id is giving issues. I don't know how they work but its conceivable that heavy work has modified you print temporarily making it out of for one phone but not the other ipad. Brian

[Andy Burns]

I suspect it's more to do with lack of visible fingerprint from having overworked my fingers, than the phone/laptop model, but current devices have both seen the problem a couple of months ago.

Pixel3, Huawei Matebook X

[Brian Gaff (Sofa)]

In order to do that you need the pin you used to program it.

Brian

[Andy Burns]

Not sure if the Gummi Bear method still works with current generation fingerprint devices?

[Jake56]

I don?t given that the ipad works fine.

but current devices

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

It happens that Tim+ formulated :

They do struggle with dirty or wet fingers I have noticed.