How to fix Galaxy S9 fingerprint scanner problem in a minute

Samsung created the Galaxy S8 to be a phenomenal phone, but the device did come with an annoying flaw which was the placement of the fingerprint scanner. A year later, Samsung has listened to the users and resolved this error on the Galaxy S9, which is building up to be one of the best Android devices of the year already.

While the placement of the fingerprint sensor is no longer an inconvenience, Galaxy S9 fingerprint scanner problems still exist. Several users across the internet have reported that the “Fingerprint sensor has stopped working” error keeps popping up every now and then, and seems to be a common phenomenon.

If you’ve been facing a similar issue when using the fingerprint scanner on your Galaxy S9, there are a few ways you can try to fix it. Since the issue is widespread, you can expect Samsung to resolve this issue through a software update soon, but until then, here are three solutions you can try out.

Solution 1: Resetting the Fingerprint settings

XDA user tsiglas pointed out that European Galaxy S9 users have also reported facing the fingerprint scanner issue, which points in the direction of a widespread software issue rather than hardware. To start off, you can try resetting the Fingerprint settings to factory default and add them again to see if the issue is resolved.

Open Settings – Lock screen & Security and delete all of the fingerprints that you have added to the system.
Reboot the phone by pressing and holding the Power button to select Restart.
Once the device restarts, head back to Settings – Lock screen & Security and add your fingerprints back to the system.
Check to see if your newly added fingerprints work in unlocking the Galaxy S9 and once again reboot the device.
Open the Dialer app on the device and enter *#0*#, which will take you to the service menu.
Navigate to Sensors – Fingerprint and tap on Normal and reboot your device once you see the Pass message show up.

While the user has reported that the method helps fix the fingerprint sensor issue for them, other users reported that the issue continues to exist. So if this fix doesn’t seem to work for you either, head on to the next step.

Solution 2: Disable Fingerprint gestures

Following in the footsteps of Google and other Android OEMs, Samsung has introduced gestures for the fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S9. Surprisingly enough, the addition of this new feature is reportedly the cause behind the fingerprint scanner issues that a bunch of users is facing right now.

From the home screen of your Galaxy S9, head over to Settings – Advanced features.
Scroll down to the menu to find Finger sensor gestures and make sure to disable it.
Reboot your device by pressing down the Power button and check to see if the issue has been resolved.

While the trade-off is not ideal, but the fact that disabling this tiny feature lets you bring back the fingerprint scanner functionality makes it worth it. Samsung should soon fix the issue through a software update, so you can head back to the same menu and enable fingerprint gestures later on.

Solution 3: Setting up your fingerprint the traditional way

This may seem like a no-brainer, but the fact that we were able to fix all fingerprint scanner issues on our in-house Galaxy S9+ with this nifty trick makes it worth an honorable mention. When setting up the Galaxy S9 fingerprint, Samsung has added a tip to help you set up the fingerprint faster.

The tip asks you to swipe across the sensor rather than tap it multiple times as you would usually do. This may save you a minuscule amount of time, but it can well be the culprit behind all those fingerprint sensor issues.

From the home screen of your Galaxy S9, head over to Settings – Lock screen & Security and delete all of the fingerprints that you have added to the system.
Now set up your fingerprints again, but instead of taking Samsung’s advice of swiping your finger across the sensor, just set it up as you traditionally would.
Make sure that you curve your finger over the sensor multiple times so that it is registered from all angles.

We hope that your Galaxy S9 fingerprint woes have finally been resolved with this guide? We’re always here to help if your device needs any fixing, so hit us up in the comments section down below.

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