How to fix Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner not working | not detecting finger

ByHarvey Hisona September 10, 2019September 1, 2023 September 1, 2023

There’s been a number of Galaxy Note10+ users who reported that the fingerprint scanner is not working. If you’re one of the unfortunate users who has this issue, learn what to do below.

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How to fix Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner not working | fingerprint scanner not detecting finger

If your Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner is not working, there’s a number of possible factors that might cause it. Follow this guide to fix the issue.

Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner not working fix #1: Clean the screen | remove screen protector

If your Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner appears to be not working, the first troubleshooting step that you must do is ensure that the screen is clean. Technically, presence of dust,smudge, or dirt on the screen would have little effect on your device’s fingerprint scanner as it uses sound in scanning a 3D image of a finger. However, real world tests show otherwise. Be sure that you wipe the screen with a clean, soft cloth before unlocking your device with your finger.

If you’re using a screen protector, try to remove it and see if fingerprint scanner starts working again. Poorly installed or low quality screen protector may degrade the scanner’s capability. If nothing works, continue with the troubleshooting steps below.

Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner not working fix #2: Reposition your finger

The fingerprint scanner is located a little lower below the middle portion of the screen. If your finger is way below that portion, the scanner may not be able to make a full scan of your finger.

Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner not working fix #3: Install update

Some bugs are only fixable with updates. Be sure to keep all apps and software updated. To keep apps updated, follow these steps:

Open Play Store app.
Tap More settings icon at the upper left (three-horizontal lines).
Tap My apps & games.
Tap Update or Update All.

Aside from checking for updates for a certain app or apps, make sure that you also update the software. For carrier-branded Galaxy Note10 devices, updating the software is as simple as tapping on the notification that shows up. You can also manually check for updates by going under Settings > Software update.

Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner not working fix #4: Delete and add fingerprints

In some cases, refreshing the list of saved fingerprints can fix a misbehaving fingerprint scanner. First, try to delete the saved fingerprints. Here’s how:

From a Home screen, swipe up or down from the center of the display to access the apps screen.
Open Settings app.
Tap Biometrics and security.
Tap Fingerprints. If prompted, enter the current PIN, password, or pattern.
Select the fingerprint to remove. To select all, touch and hold a fingerprint until selected then tap All (upper-left). When selected, a blue check mark will appear to the left of the fingerprint.
Tap Remove (upper-right).
To confirm, review the disclaimer then tap Remove.
That’s it. You’ve now removed a fingerprint from your device.

Once you’ve removed all stored fingerprints, set fingerprint recognition up again. Prior to begin the setup, make sure that:

your hands, especially the fingers you want to to add, are clean of dust, moisture, dirt, oil, lotion, dyes, etc.
you have your screen unlock option (PIN, Pattern, or Pattern) ready.

Below are the steps on how to add additional fingerprints on Galaxy Note10+:

From a Home screen, swipe up or down from the center of the display to access the apps screen.
Open Settings app.
Tap Lock screen.
From the ‘Looking for something else?’ section, tap Fingerprints. If prompted, enter the current PIN, password, or pattern.
Tap Add fingerprint. If prompted, enter the current PIN, password, or pattern.
Follow the on-screen tutorial to scan your fingerprint. Repeat this step as necessary until the process is complete.
Tap DONE (lower-right).
That’s it! You’ve now registered another fingerprint. If you want to add more, just repeat Steps 1-8.

Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner not working fix #5: Improve screen sensitivity

If you think that your Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner fails to read your finger or not working, or if the screen is not as responsive as you expect, that’s probably because of a screen protector. If not, then there’s no need to worry, as you can easily improve screen sensitivity by following these steps:

Head to Settings in the app tray or tap the gear-shaped settings button in the pulldown bar
Select Display from the list of options
Scroll down till you find Touch Sensitivity
Toggle the switch to ON to increase touch sensitivity for use with screen protectors.

Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner not working fix #6: Wipe cache partition

Android uses a system cache to load apps quickly. If the issue started after installing a system update or app, there may be a system cache issue. Here’s how it’s done:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby / Power key.
When the green Android logo displays, release both keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
The Recovery screen menu will now appear. When you see this, release the buttons.
Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe cache partition.’
Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe cache partition.’
Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
Press the Power button to confirm the action to clear the cache.
Wait for a second as the system wipes the cache.
Press the Power button again to reboot the device. This will return the device to the normal interface.
That’s it!

Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner not working fix #7: Reset app preferences

Some apps need default apps and services in order to work. If these necessary apps or services are disabled for some reason, an app that requires them to work may stop running altogether, or stop working properly. To ensure that default apps and services are enabled, follow these steps:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
Select Reset app preferences.
Restart your Galaxy Note10+ and check for the problem.

Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner not working fix #8: Observe on Safe Mode

Another possible reason for the problem may be a bad third party app. To check, try to restart the device to safe mode. In this mode, all third party apps are suspended so if Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner works normally, you can assume that the issue is caused by a third party app. To check if that’s the case, restart the phone to safe mode. Here’s how to do that:

Press and hold the Power button until the Power off window appears then release.
Touch and hold Power off until the Safe mode prompt appears then release.
To confirm, tap Safe mode.
The process may take up to 30 seconds to complete.
Upon reboot, “Safe mode” appears in the lower-left of the home screen.

Remember that third-party applications are disabled in this mode so what you can use are pre-installed apps. If the problem is non-existent on safe mode, that means that the problem is due to a bad app. Uninstall the app you recently installed and see if that will fix it. If the problem remains, use the process of elimination to identify the rogue app. Here’s how:

Boot to safe mode.
Check for the problem.
Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
If your Galaxy Note10+ is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.

Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner not working fix #9: Erase device (factory reset)

The final troubleshooting step that you can do in this situation is to return the software to its defaults. This is a drastic potential solution but if the reason for no sound issue on your Galaxy Note10+ is software related, this might help.

Below are the two ways to factory reset your Note10+:

Method 1: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy Note10+ via Settings Menu

This is the easiest way to wipe your Galaxy Note10+. all you have to do is to go under Settings menu and follow the steps below. We recommend this method if you have no trouble going under Settings.

Create a backup of your personal data and remove your Google account.
Open Settings app.
Scroll to and tap General management.
Tap Reset.
Select Factory data reset from the given options.
Read the information then tap Reset to continue.
Tap Delete All to confirm action.

Method 2: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy Note10+ using hardware buttons

If your case is that the phone is not booting up, or it boots but Settings menu is inaccessible, this method can be helpful. First, you need to boot the device to Recovery Mode. Once you successfully access Recovery, that’s the time that you begin proper master reset procedure. It may take some tries for you before you can access Recovery so be patient and simply try again.

If possible, create a backup of your personal data ahead of time. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
Also, you want to make sure that you remove your Google account. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby / Power key.
When the green Android logo displays, release both keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
The Recovery screen menu will now appear. When you see this, release the buttons.
Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
Press the Power button to confirm the action to clear your phone data.

Galaxy Note10+ fingerprint scanner not working fix #10: Repair

If none of the troubleshooting steps above help, you can assume that bad hardware may be to blame. Your device may need repair or replacement so visit your local Samsung store or Service Center.

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