No, this trick doesn't speed up the Google Pixel 6 fingerprint sensor

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The Pixel 6's finicky fingerprint sensor needs a proper fix

Google Pixel 6 fingerprint sensor
(Image credit: Future)

For all that the Google Pixel 6 gets right, you can't make use of it without unlocking your phone. And if you're lucky enough to have already got one despite the stock shortages, you're likely unlucky enough to have experienced the sluggish under-display fingerprint scanner.

While this has proven a nuisance, there is a possible workaround within the settings menu. Canadian tech YouTuber ZACHtalksTECH on Twitter (via XDA Developers) points out that enabling the option "Increase touch sensitivity" helped him deal with the fingerprint scanner issue, and suggests others try it too.

So naturally, that's just what we did. I've been trying a Google Pixel 6 Pro for a few days, and have found you need to quite deliberately and firmly press your thumb into the display in order to unlock the phone and even then it takes a beat for the phone to register and open up. 

So having enabled the "Increase touch sensitivity" option (found within the Display section of the main menu), I tried unlocking the phone again. At first, the fingerprint sensor seemed a bit more responsive, but after unlocking the phone multiple times with this setting on and off we notice little to no difference in speed or ease of use. 

I also had other people on staff try this "trick" with their Google Pixel 6 review units. They also didn't notice a difference with the Increase touch sensitivity setting turned on.

This is Google's first crack at an under-display fingerprint scanner, and it's not turned out well. Neither has the Pixel 6's display by the looks, which has been the subject of complaints about Pixel 6 tinted colors and extra punch holes in the display. There's also been a screen flickering problem that Google has acknowledged and will be fixing in a December update.

Happily, aside from these issues, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are pretty great phones. They offer great cameras and strong performance for their low prices, and are two of the best camera phones out of everything on the market right now. It's just a shame about these quality control issues.

Here's hoping that Google can help speed up the fingerprint sensor on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro with an update. 

But in spite this problem, the Pixel 6 is still a killer Android phone. In fact, the Google Pixel 6 is the Android phone Roland has been waiting for. So far he's not been disappointed.

Richard Priday
Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.