In a statement published today, Samsung acknowledges and states it is working on a fix for a major fingerprint recognition vulnerability concerning all Galaxy devices that utilize the ultrasonic fingerprint reader. Just so you don’t have to think about it, Samsung says this affects the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+, plus the Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10 5G.
To fill you in on what’s happening, some Galaxy owners have discovered that if you’re using a 3rd-party glass screen protector, your phone’s ultrasonic fingerprint reader has the chance of letting anybody past the lockscreen. Obviously, that’s a problem.
Here’s the full statement from Samsung.
Regarding recent reports of a fingerprint recognition issue affecting certain Galaxy devices, we would like to inform our customers of the following information.
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.
Thank you for your patience and we will strive to continuously improve product and service experiences for our users.
So, while you wait for a software update, best to not user your fingerprint reader and opt for an old fashioned passcode or pattern lock.
// Samsung