Now, Pixel 3 owners are reporting fingerprint sensor problems
What's the story
The problems associated with Pixel 3 and its elder sibling, Pixel 3 XL, are just not ending. After one issue gets patched, another crops up, affecting the early adopters of Google's pure Android flagships. And, this list is only getting bigger, with the latest wave of complaints revolving around the fingerprint scanner of the two devices. Here's more about it.
Issue
Fingerprint scanner gestures not working properly
On many Android phones, notifications can be opened by swiping down on the fingerprint scanner. The new Pixels also offer the same capability, but multiple users have taken to Reddit and Google's Issue Tracker forum to report that this 'swipe-down' gesture is not working properly. Basically, it responds inconsistently, with users being forced to try several times.
Success rate
Poor success rate reported by Pixel 3 users
The reports are widespread with users reporting their own experiences with Pixel 3 notification gestures. One user, for instance, claimed it worked only 20% of the time, while others placed the success rate around 50-60%. They even compared the poor gesture performance with their previous Android phones (including the likes of Pixel 2 and Honor), noting that problem never occurred on those devices.
Fix
And, the issue has been around for some time
And, if you think the problem has just started cropping up, you're wrong. The oldest complaint regarding the issue was registered all the way back in October. Since then, the complaints have multiplied on both Reddit and Google Issue Tracker, but the search giant has not issued a fix for the problem. Its last security update did fix some issues, but not this one.
Possible workaround
So, what can you do?
So far, there's no word when Google will actually issue a fix to address the gesture problems. However, it is worth noting that some users have claimed that gesture could work reliably if you use swipe down slowly or use only the tip of the finger to do that. We haven't verified these claims, but they're definitely worth a shot.