Samsung has promised a fix for a highly-troubling issue with the Galaxy S10 ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that could enable an unauthorised third-party to unlock the phone.
The bug came to light when one S10 user revealed her partner was able to gain access to her phone, despite the prints not being registered to the device.
Samsung previously said it was investigating the bug, attributed to screen protectors recognising the 3D pattens of its owners, and has now promised a fix is forthcoming in the very near future, as soon as next week.
In a press release on Friday, the company advised users not to have the fingerprint sensor active if using one of the “certain silicone screen protecting cases.”
Trusted Reviews was unable to replicate the issue on our Galaxy S10 review sample.
Samsung originally pitched the ultra-sonic fingerprint sensor, replacing the optical sensor on other models, as the most secure option on the market. However, it reckoned without the presence of these third-party screen protectors that have thrown a definitive spanner in the works.
The company said: “This issue involved ultrasonic fingerprint sensors unlocking devices after recognizing 3-dimensional patterns appearing on certain silicone screen protecting cases as users’ fingerprints.
“To prevent any further issues, we advise that Galaxy Note10/10+ and S10/S10+/S10 5G users who use such covers to remove the cover, delete all previous fingerprints and newly register their fingerprints. If you currently use front screen protective covers, to ensure optimum fingerprint scanning, please refrain from using this cover until your device has been updated with a new software patch.
“A software update is planned to be released as early as next week, and once updated, please be sure to scan your fingerprint in its entirety, so that the all portions of your fingerprint, including the center and corners have been fully scanned.”
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
