Samsung got into a spot of PR bother this week after reports that its flagship Galaxy S10 and Note 10 phones have a bug that might allow any fingerprint to unlock them. It turns out that if you’d registered your print while the phone was in an all-over silicone case, the phone reads the inside of the case and not your print, therefore allowing any press to get into the device.
Samsung said in a statement: “If you’ve used a screen cover, such as silicone cover with a textured surface on the inside, the texture itself may be recognized as a fingerprint that can unlock your phone.”
According to Android Central, Samsung is now rolling out a fix to “all affected phones” in South Korea – so that’s any S10 or Note 10 phone that has an in-screen fingerprint sensor. The only one that doesn’t is the S10e.
If you use a silicone case over your S10 or Note 10 screen or are just worried about this in general, you can remove fingerprints from your phone in settings until the software update is pushed out. Samsung recommends re-enrolling your prints after the update either way.
Author: Henry Burrell, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Previously Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, Henry covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.
Recent stories by Henry Burrell:
- Fairphone 5 review
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review
- The best small phone 2023
There is a bug in the Samsung Galaxy S10 that means any fingerprint will register and unlock the phone if some types of screen protector are fitted. The Sun reported a woman had purchased a wraparound silicone case for the phone from eBay only to find her husband could also push the under-screen fingerprint sensor and was allowed into the device.
In fact, all fingerprints tested worked on the phone and the woman’s sister’s S10, so anyone could access the phone and the biometrically locked banking apps installed. We’ll admit it’s a little odd to use a silicone case that covers the screen as well as the back of the phone rather than using a plastic or glass screen protector.
In the Sun’s video it’s unclear if the owner registered the fingerprint with the silicone case on. If they did, this might have registered the imprint of the inside of the gel case rather than the fingerprint, explaining why anyone who pushes down on that same bit of silicone would be able to get into the phone.
That said, it shows that with new technology like in-screen fingerprint sensors there are going to be things phone manufacturers don’t think of that result in security flaws. The implications are bad for Samsung, who in a statement said, “We’re investigating this internally. We recommend all customers to use Samsung authorised accessories, specifically designed for Samsung products.”
Such official or authorised products are often very expensive, and there are thousands of cheaper S10 cases and screen protectors to buy online. Considering the phone has been out for six months, this is an embarrassing bug for Samsung.
While unconfirmed, it’s safe to assume this bug also exists on the S10 Plus and S10 5G that have the same fingerprint scanner. Make sure you register fingerprints directly onto the display or a glass or plastic screen protector – and it’ll be better if it’s Samsung approved in this instance.
Author: Henry Burrell, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Previously Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, Henry covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.
Recent stories by Henry Burrell:
- Fairphone 5 review
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review
- The best small phone 2023
