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Google started rolling out Pixel Feature Drop update yesterday, also known as June 2022 update. It presented some new features as part of it, but some bug fixes as well. You’ll be glad to know that this update brings a major performance boost for Pixel fingerprint scanners.
Before we get into it, do note that it also fixed the black lock screen bug that has been plaguing Pixel users. On top of that, various other, smaller bug fixes have been issued. Google mentioned Google app, Gboard, Call Screen, and Bluetooth bug fixes, amongst others.
Pixel fingerprint scanners get major performance boost in last update
Let’s circle back to the fingerprint scanner, though. Google did mention that it improved fingerprint scanner performance. The company said that a number of times thus far, so I had to check for myself.
Luckily, I use the Pixel 4a as my daily driver at the moment, and a friend of mine is rocking the Pixel 6. We updated our phones as soon as possible, and decided to test out Google’s theory, as fingerprint scanners on both phones have been horrible.
The Pixel 4a’s fingerprint scanner worked like a charm since launch, until a couple of months back. It became really, really slow. It remained accurate, but it took its sweet time to unlock the phone. It was obvious something was wrong.
On the flip side, the Pixel 6 fingerprint scanner has been questionable since launch. Google did improve things slightly, but not by much. Well, you’ll be glad to know that both fingerprint scanners (capacitive and optical) have been improved. I reckon the same is the case on other Pixel phones that have been having issues, but I can attest for these two only.
The Pixel 4a fingerprint scanner feels amazing to use again
The Pixel 4a fingerprint scanner is back to being blazing fast again. It feels like it did out of the box, it unlock the device in an instant. The Pixel 6’s is still not perfect, but it’s a noticeable improvement in comparison to the situation prior to this update.
It now works more reliably, and it’s a bit faster as well, though still not as consistent as it should be. There’s still a small delay, but it feels a lot better to use, to be quite honest. Prior to this update it was noticeably slower, and more importantly, kind of inaccurate. Google fixed things a bit, on both accounts. It’s still not perfect, though, nowhere near the best optical fingerprint scanner we’ve used.