How to Fix the Missing Fingerprint Scanner on Your Pixel After the March Update

The March update for Google Pixel devices, part of the Pixel Feature Drop, has been a bit of a disaster for some users. While it introduced several exciting features, it also brought along a slew of frustrating issues, including problems with the fingerprint scanner. If you’re one of the Pixel owners who has encountered this problem, don’t worry—there’s a quick fix. Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening and how to solve it.

What’s Happening with the Fingerprint Scanner?

Following the release of the Pixel Feature Drop, users began reporting issues with the fingerprint scanner, particularly those with Pixel 9 models. The scanner has either stopped working altogether or, in some cases, completely disappeared from the settings menu. This is more than just an inconvenience since many apps now rely on biometric authentication for security, meaning the problem can be especially frustrating for daily use.

The issue appears to be linked to the recent March update, although not all Pixel 9 owners have experienced it. Other Pixel models have also been affected, though the problem seems to be rare and isolated. Interestingly, the glitch is similar to problems seen earlier in the Android 15 QPR2 Beta releases.

While this bug can be a serious inconvenience, Google hasn’t yet been able to replicate it in order to investigate and fix it properly.

Why is the Fingerprint Scanner Vanishing?

The bug seems to have appeared after the March update, which added new features like real-time alerts for suspicious texts and location sharing via Find My Device. However, it also brought some unwelcome issues, including screen-dimming, strange haptic feedback changes, and a glitch in the EQ audio settings. Among the most troublesome of these is the fingerprint scanner problem.

When the bug strikes, the phone behaves as though the fingerprint scanner doesn’t even exist. It doesn’t appear in the settings menu at all, which suggests a deeper issue than just a software hiccup.

A Quick Fix for Your Pixel’s Missing Fingerprint Scanner

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To fix the problem, turn off your phone completely for a few seconds (simply restarting your phone doesn’t seem to help). After powering the phone back on, the fingerprint scanner should be available again, but some users report needing to restart their devices several times for the issue to fully resolve.

What Undercode Says:

While this bug appears to be rare, its occurrence is still significant enough to cause widespread frustration. Given that biometric login has become standard in securing apps and services, any malfunction of the fingerprint scanner becomes more than just an annoying technical issue—it disrupts the user experience and may even cause users to reconsider their reliance on biometric authentication.

The fact that this issue doesn’t seem to be affecting every Pixel device indicates that the bug may be related to specific configurations or software interactions introduced by the March update. It’s possible that certain system settings, or even background apps, may be interfering with the fingerprint scanner’s operation.

From an analytical standpoint, the inconsistency of this bug’s appearance suggests that it may be related to some recent changes in Android’s beta releases—particularly the inclusion of new features that haven’t been fully debugged. The integration of new security features, such as the ability to delete malfunctioning biometric credentials, could also be part of the issue, but there’s no definitive evidence linking them.

This scenario is reminiscent of other software bugs that pop up after a major update, where the developers roll out new features without fully testing how they interact with older system functions. As more Pixel 9 users face this issue, it’s likely that Google will prioritize fixing it in future patches. In the meantime, the workaround of restarting the device multiple times may be your best bet.

The fact that this issue hasn’t been widely acknowledged by Google yet suggests that it might not be easy to replicate in a testing environment. It’s possible that the relatively small number of users affected is slowing down the company’s response. However, given the importance of biometric security in modern smartphones, it’s likely that a more permanent solution will be rolled out soon.

Fact Checker Results:

The issue seems to primarily affect Pixel 9 models but has been spotted on other Pixel devices as well.
A temporary fix involves turning the phone off completely for several seconds and then restarting it.
The bug seems to be tied to the March update, which introduced new features and also caused other glitches.

References:

Reported By: https://www.zdnet.com/article/is-your-pixel-fingerprint-scanner-missing-after-the-march-update-heres-the-quick-fix/
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