Order the brand new: Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Buds FE or Galaxy SmartTag 2023! Smartphone of the year Galaxy S23 Ultra!

SamMobile has affiliate and sponsored partnerships. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn a commission.

Major Galaxy S10/Note 10 fingerprint flaw will be fixed with software update

Phone
By 

Last updated: October 17th, 2019 at 10:30 UTC+02:00

Samsung will fix the recently discovered fingerprint vulnerability on the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 series with a software update. For those who missed it, it was recently reported that certain silicone gel cases, when installed on a Galaxy S10, can allow anyone to access the phone using the fingerprint scanner even when their fingerprints aren't registered on the device. Some silicone cases cover the entire phone, and the issue stems from the dotted pattern on some of those cases.

Ultrasonic sensors work by transmitting high-frequency ultrasonic sound waves at the user's finger and matching the details of your fingerprint against the fingerprint stored on the device based on how the sound waves are reflected back. When a user registers their fingerprint with a silicone case on, the fingerprint reader isn't able to read the finger's ridges and pores as much as it reads the dotted pattern on the case, effectively making the dotted pattern the saved fingerprint and granting everyone access when they press down on the fingerprint reader.

Exactly how the software update will fix this problem is unclear, but until the update comes out, Samsung suggests that everyone use the company's official screen protectors. Plastic screen protectors work best with the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor on Samsung's flagship phones, as thicker screen protectors make it harder for the sensor to detect fingerprints because of the gap they create between the display and the user's finger. Some liquid adhesive-based glass protectors overcome that limitation, but Samsung is unwilling to put its seal of approval on any but its own screen protectors.


Phone Galaxy Note 10Galaxy S10

You might also like

Samsung ends software update support for Galaxy Note 10 series

Samsung ends software update support for Galaxy Note 10 series

Samsung has released some details about the September 2023 security update that will soon start rolling out to Galaxy smartphones and tablets. With this software update, the company has downgraded or ended the software update status for some of its older smartphones, including the Galaxy Note 10 series. Galaxy Note 10 series downgraded to biannual […]

  • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
  • 1 month ago
Galaxy Note 10 gets a good start to the month with July 2023 security update

Galaxy Note 10 gets a good start to the month with July 2023 security update

After the Galaxy A53, Galaxy S22, and Galaxy S23, it's now Galaxy Note 10's turn to get Samsung's newest security update. The Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 10+ have started getting the July 2023 security update in Europe, and we expect it to expand to more countries and regions soon. Galaxy Note 10 […]

  • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
  • 3 months ago
Samsung Malaysia: Trade your old Galaxy Note for the ‘new Note’

Samsung Malaysia: Trade your old Galaxy Note for the ‘new Note’

The Galaxy Note lineup is dead, but only in name. The essence of the Galaxy Note lineup lives on through Samsung's Galaxy S Ultra line of smartphones, as the S Pen is now an integral part of each new Galaxy S Ultra. There are many folks who continue to use their old Galaxy Note smartphone, […]

  • By Abhijeet Mishra
  • 4 months ago
No more software updates for all but one Galaxy S10 model!

No more software updates for all but one Galaxy S10 model!

The Galaxy S10 series has had a good run. Considered by many to be the last true Galaxy S flagship after Samsung started trimming the list of hardware features from the Galaxy S20 onwards, the Galaxy S10 lineup went on sale more than four years ago and has enjoyed three major Android OS upgrades since […]

  • By Abhijeet Mishra
  • 4 months ago
Galaxy Note 10 gets May 2023 security update in Latin America and the US

Galaxy Note 10 gets May 2023 security update in Latin America and the US

Earlier this month, Samsung released the May 2023 security update to the Galaxy Note 10 series in South Korea. Last week, the update was released to carrier-locked Galaxy Note 10 units in the US. Now, the company has released the new security update to the unlocked Galaxy Note 10 devices in the US and Latin […]

  • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
  • 5 months ago
Galaxy Note 10 picks up May 2023 security update in the US

Galaxy Note 10 picks up May 2023 security update in the US

Earlier this month, Samsung released the May 2023 security update to the Galaxy Note 10 series in South Korea. The update is now expanding to the US, with the carrier-unlocked models getting the update. Surprisingly, the global versions of the smartphone haven't received the update yet. The latest software for the Galaxy Note 10 and […]

  • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
  • 5 months ago