Note 4 Fingerprint Scanner Not Working: What to Do for This Device (And Other Models)

I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and I’ve been using it for a few months now. However, there is something wrong with the screen. What I love about it is the fingerprint scanner that allows me to secure my phone and its contents. The problem is my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 fingerprint scanner is not working now. What do I do about it? How do I fix it?

~Samsung Galaxy Note 4 User

Part I: IntroductionPart II: My Samsung Device Fails To Recognize My Own FingerprintPart III: Fix Note 4 Fingerprint Scanner Stopped Working Immediately After UpgradePart IV: Conclusion

Part I: Introduction

A lot of Samsung devices now have their own fingerprint scanning feature. The same goes for other device brands and models.

Some of the Samsung models that have the fingerprint scanning feature include Samsung Galaxy A9, A9 Pro, A7, A5, S9, S8, S7, S7 Edge, S6, and S5. Other models include Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Note 6, Note 5, and Note 4.

The fingerprint scanning feature is very convenient, especially for its users. With a simple touch of your fingerprint on the scanning device, you can unlock your phone instantly. Plus, it’s a great way to make sure your device can only be accessed by you and you alone. It secures the data and contents of your device.

Unfortunately, there are times when things can take a left turn. The fingerprint scanner, according to some users, doesn’t work at some point in the device’ lifespan. There might be different reasons for this. And these reasons can lead to the fingerprint scanner to not work properly.

Fortunately, you are currently in this article. We will tell you the various reasons why the fingerprint scanner of your device isn’t working. Plus, we will get to the details on how to go around this problem and be happy with your device working perfectly again.

Part II: My Samsung Device Fails To Recognize My Own Fingerprint

There are some users who have reported that they can’t use the fingerprint scanner on their devices. They usually use the fingerprint scanner in order to unlock their device. However, there comes a point in time wherein their fingerprints can’t be recognized by the scanner.

What’s worse is these users also forgot the actual backup password they placed in before in order to unlock their phones apart from the fingerprint scanner. When these events happen, they get locked out of their devices just because their fingerprint can’t be recognized and they forgot the password that is used as a backup.

If you are currently facing the same issue, don’t fret. We understand that it can be frustrating. But, you have to be calm in order to fix this issue properly. First, you have to make sure if your device is actually connected to a cellular data network or a Wi-Fi network.

If it is actually connected to a Wi-Fi or data network, you can unlock the phone through the verification of your Google account. Or, if you have a Samsung device, there’s a handy way to do it. You can go to this page here in order to unlock your device and create a new password for it.

How To Unlock Your Samsung Device With Your Google Account

It is important to note that for this to work out, you have to make sure that you created a Google account with your Samsung device during the initial setup of the said phone or tablet. You should have your own Google account associated with this device before actually being locked out of it.

Here are the steps on how to do it:

• Step 01 - Type out the wrong password on your lock screen for about five (5) times or more.
• Step 02 - Check out if the option to unlock the device via Google comes up. Select this option.
• Step 03 - Type your Google email address.
• Step 04 - Type the password associated with this email address.
• Step 05 - Press Sign In.
• Step 06 - Once you are currently logged in, the said Lock Screen will actually be reset as an actual Swipe.

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How to Unlock Your Samsung If Note 4 Fingerprint Scanner Is Not Working

You have to remember that in order for this to work out, you must have been able to add up a Samsung account on your device. Plus, you have to ensure that Remote Control is activated on the said Samsung device. This will allow you to unlock your phone using Samsung’s Find My Mobile page.

If the fingerprint scanner of your Samsung Note 4 is not working, Go to the Find My Mobile page > log in > press Unlock. Then, Wait for the process to be completed and now your Note 4's fingerprint is fixed.

Here are the complete steps to fix it:

• Step 01 - Go to the page of Samsung’s Find My Mobile page.
• Step 02 - Log in with the details of your Samsung account.
• Step 03 - Locate the option to unlock the screen. Usually, this can be seen as Unlock My Screen.
• Step 04 - Press the button named Unlock.
• Step 05 - Wait until the message that states that the screen is actually unlocked is displayed.
• Step 06 - Set up new details for the screen lock of the device -- the new one. By this time, your Samsung device has been unlocked and you have created a new lock password for it.

How To Unlock Your Samsung Device Through Implementing A Factory Reset

What if the device is not connected to a cellular data network or Wi-Fi network? What if you don’t have a Google account or a Samsung account? Well, you can still go through this issue.

What you should do is to actually unlock your Samsung device by doing a factory reset. This means you are resetting the device to its factory (or prepurchase) state.

Here’s how to do it step by step:

• Step 01 - Place your device into that of Recovery Mode. You can do this by turning the device off. After this, press the Volume Up button plus the Home button plus the Power button all at the same time. Hold this for a while until the logo of Android shows up. Then, release the button for Power but still hold the Volume Up and Home buttons. Wait until the next page is displayed.
• Step 02 - Select Wipe Data or Factory Reset and also Wipe Cache Partition in order to delete all data and settings within the device.
• Step 03 - Reboot the device.

By now, the lock on the screen has been removed. However, you have to know that the device will lose all the data and the settings contained within it. Thus, it is best to do these steps only if you have a backup.

Part III: Fix Note 4 Fingerprint Scanner Stopped Working Immediately After Upgrade

There are some users that experience problems with their fingerprint scanner after they have upgraded their devices (especially their Samsung phones). These users usually add a new fingerprint to that of their device. However, once they try to do so, they receive a peculiar message.

According to their device, they have to ensure that the Home button is dry and clean. Plus, they have to repeat the process of putting in their fingerprints over and over again. These users experience a lot of frustration with their device’ fingerprint scanner.

This problem is common for a lot of users who update their devices. This is because Android updates can contain bugs and errors that can cause problems in certain parts of the device. In order to remove all of these bugs, what you have to do is to go to recovery mode. After which, you should wipe out the cache partition.

Here’s how to do it step by step:

• Step 01 - Place your device into that of Recovery Mode. You can do this by turning the device off. After this, press the Volume Up button plus the Home button plus the Power button all at the same time. Hold this for a while until the logo of Android shows up. Then, release the button for Power but still hold the Volume Up and Home buttons. Wait until the next page is displayed.
• Step 02 - Utilize the button for Volumes in order to move the selection to Wipe Cache Partition.
• Step 03 - Press the button for Power in order to select that option.
• Step 04 - After which, select Reboot System Now in order to reboot or restart the device.

But what if the problem still is there after you have wiped out the cache partition. Well, you can try other methods to do this:

Method 01: Using FoneDog Broken Android Data Extraction

With the FoneDog Broken Android Data Extraction, you can use the tool in order to extract data from your phone. In this way, you can save all the data you have from the device and make a backup of it in your PC or in cloud storage.

Or, you can opt to put it in another storage device. In this way, you can fix or do a hard reset on your device and still keep the data located within it.

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Method 02: Perform A Factory Reset On Your Device Through Recovery Mode

When you perform a factory reset on your phone, it will erase all data and settings within it. It will go back to its factory state, the state it was in before you purchased it. The disadvantage to this is that all the data will be erased. That’s why you should use method 01 to back up your data through FoneDog’s Broken Data Extraction Tool.

Method 03: Downgrading Your Device

You can downgrade your device by placing in a new firmware into that of your device. You can also utilize Odin or you can also flash that of the stock ROM. The disadvantage to this is that all the contents of your device will be removed.

Part IV: Conclusion

Is the fingerprint scanner of your Samsung Galaxy Note 4 not working? Or, do you have another model or phone brand wherein the fingerprint scanner is damaged?

Well, you can do the steps outlined here in order to fix your problem and be able to use your device again. Simply follow this guide to fix the problem of a Samsung Galaxy Note 4’s fingerprint scanner not working.