Galaxy S10 Updates Makes Ultrasonic Fingerprint Faster

Any new technology naturally goes through growing pains. Sometimes, those pains happen behind closed doors. Other times, it is the users that have to grit their teeth in frustration. Qualcomm's ultrasonic fingerprint sensors in the Galaxy S10 is definitely at the cutting edge but, compared to existing fingerprint sensors, it left users waiting a bit too long. Now an update addresses that pain point while Samsung remains quiet on another perhaps more critical question.

The new ultrasonic technology is supposed to making fingerprint recognition faster and more secure but it might not have nailed either in the head just yet. Users have aired their frustrations as the lag between tapping the screen and unlocking it. Presuming, of course, you placed your finger on the right spot.

Samsung is now pushing an update that simply says "Biometrics security patch – Fingerprints." Folks over at Reddit, however, were only too happy to share what it's all about. Some testify that it has made the fingerprint scanner nearly instantaneous, putting it on par with the more widely-used optical sensors.

Sadly, it seems that the update is not something you can manually ask for like the normal system updates. You'll have to wait for Samsung to push it to your Galaxy S10 or Galaxy S10+ (the Galaxy S10e has a regular sensor). Owners could perhaps use that waiting period to practice placing their finger in the sensor area.

The update probably doesn't address a recent glaring revelation and Samsung hasn't issued any statement either. According to one tester, it is possible to spoof the sensor using nothing but a photograph of a fingerprint and a 3D printer, throwing the promise of better security out the window.