Fingerprint sensor not working on your Samsung Galaxy A31? Many users reported fingerprint sensor not recognizing fingerprints on their Galaxy A31 and they are not sure why.
There are a lot of factors that can affect the fingerprint sensor, such as not using the correct finger, finger is wet or scarred, defective sensor, using unsupported screen protector, software malfunction and more that can cause fingerprint sensor to stop working.
If you’re having issues with fingerprint scanner on your Galaxy A31, here are some solutions that can help.
How to fix fingerprint sensor problem on Samsung Galaxy A31
Here are some solutions you can try if you notice fingerprint sensor is not working on your Samsung Galaxy A31.
1. Clean the screen
Check if there are any dirt or smudges on the screen. If the screen is dirty, it can interfere with the fingerprint sensor and cause the sensor to malfunction. Take a soft clean cloth dampen with alcohol solution and wipe off the dirt or dust from the screen.
2. Take off screen protectors
Some screen protectors can affect the touch sensitivity of the screen and may cause fingerprint sensor to not work as intended. Remove the screen protector and check the sensor again.
3. Increase screen sensitivity
If the screen sensitivity is low, it can cause the sensor to not recognize or understand the fingerprints. Try increasing the screen sensitivity and try again. Here’s how to increase the screen sensitivity on your Galaxy A31.
- Open Settings
- Tap on Display
- Tap the Touch sensitivity and toggle to ON
4. Remove and add fingerprints
Your fingerprints can change overtime due to various factors. This can happen in the following scenarios.
- Temperature too cold or too hot
- Your fingertips have scars or wrinkles
- You restored fingerprints from old device to a new one
In such cases, removing the old fingerprints and adding new ones can fix the problem. Follow the procedures below to remove and register new fingerprints.
Steps to delete old fingerprints:
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down and tap on Biometrics and security
- Tap on Fingerprints
- Type in the PIN, Password, or Pattern when prompted
- Select the fingerprints to remove. To select all, touch and hold a fingerprint then select All from the upper-left corner
- Tap on Remove (top right corner). Then confirm to remove
Steps to add new fingerprints:
- Go to Settings
- Tap on Biometrics and security
- Tap on Fingerprints
- Type in the PIN, Password, or Pattern when prompted
- Tap Add fingerprint. Enter the current PIN, Password, or Pattern if prompted
- Follow the on-screen tutorial to scan your fingerprint
- Tap Done to add the fingerprint
Note: Ensure the screen protectors are removed from the phone and your fingers are cleaned properly before proceeding with the new fingerprint registration.
5. Wipe system cache partition
System cache is a temporary storage that stores frequently access data and files including your fingerprints data. Sometimes this data can get corrupted due to some reason and can lead to all kinds of problems. Try wiping the cache and see if that helps.
Here’s how to wipe the system cache.
- Turn off the device
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby/Power key.
- Continue to hold both keys until Android Recovery menu options appear
- Press the Volume down key and navigate to Wipe cache partition
- Press Bixby/Power key to select
- Press the Volume down key to highlight Yes, then press the Bixby/Power key to select
- When the process is complete, Reboot system now is highlighted
- Press the Bixby/Power key to restart the device.
6. Factory reset the phone
If the problem started after a recent firmware update, then it may be due to some new bug that got in to your device with the update. Restoring your device back to earlier version of the software can often fix the problem in such cases.
If you want to perform factory reset, here’s how to do that.
- Open Settings from your home screen
- Tap on General management
- Tap on Reset
- Tap on Factory data reset
- Scroll down and tap on the Reset button
- Tap the Delete all button to proceed with the reset
If you are locked out of your device, you can follow the procedure below to perform the reset.
- Turn off your device (Press and hold Power button and Volume down key together until the Power Menu appears, then tap the Power off to turn off the device)
- Now press and hold the Power and Volume Up keys for few seconds
- When the Galaxy A31 logo is displayed, release the keys and wait until the Recovery menu appears
- Use the Volume Down key to highlight and select “Wipe data/factory reset“
- Press the Power key to select the option
- Use the Volume Down button and highlight Factory data reset option
- Press the Power key to proceed
- After the factory reset completes, you will see the recovery menu again
- Select “Reboot System Now” and press Power to restart the device
Note: A factory reset will delete all data from the device therefore ensure to backup all your important files and data before proceeding with the operation.
After factory reset is done and your phone has fully rebooted, try the fingerprint sensor again and see if it works. If it doesn’t, you should contact Samsung care for further support.