[Z Flip 3] [OneUI 6.1] Fingerprint sensor not working after updating to OneUI 6.1

[Tekker]

This morning I got a notification for the OneUI 6.1 update for my Z Flip 3, so I went ahead and installed it.
Unfortunately, after rebooting, I noticed that the fingerprint sensor does not work anymore.
Neither on the lockscreen or any other fingerprint prompt...

To clarify, I do not mean that my fingerprint itself does not get recognised, but rather that the fingerprint sensor is not responding to any input whatsoever.

As I have used my phone this morning before the update without issue, I can safely say that - at least prior to the system update - the fingerprint sensor itself is not damaged.

After searching for possible solutions, I found several forum posts and community messages (also for other models), also reporting partial or complete failure of the fingerprint sensor after the recent update:

• https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/galaxy-s22-series/fingerprint-scanner-has-stopped-working-oneui-...
• https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/galaxy-s23-series/fingerprint-problem-after-one-ui-6-1-update/td...
• https://r2.community.samsung.com/t5/Galaxy-S/Fingerprint-sensor-not-working-after-one-UI-6-0-update/...
• https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyFold/comments/1d3ye6y/samsung_z_fold_3_oneui61_fingerprint_not_workin...
• https://www.reddit.com/r/oneui/comments/1brbbel/oneui_61_s23_bug_with_fingerprint_scanner/

I tried the following recommended solutions but none of them worked so far:

• Soft-Reboot the phone
• Power-Off, wait, Power-On the phone
• Reset system cache
• Restart in safe mode
• use diagnostic tools in the members app

Contacting the phone support, I was told to factory reset the phone in hopes that this fixes the issue or send in my phone. Unfortunately, as my phone is out of warranty, I was told that I would have to pay for the repair as it would most likely be considered "user induced damage".

Side rant:
I have trouble understanding how Samsung thinks a malfunction most probably introduced by their update / actions is considered user error... They recommend me installing every update but if they break something the customer is to blame? At least check the issue before telling the consumer to pay up...

Does anybody else have similar issues?

Galaxy Z Flip3 5G  

[JosyS]

Hey @Tekker,

Have you performed a factory reset in the meantime?

[Tekker]

Hi @JosyS,
I haven't as many things (AppData, health data, automation tasks, etc.) can not be backed up and I would loose all my data. Also setting the phone up again is a majorly time consuming act. Not to mention that some services charge setup fees for setting up their products (a few cashless payment providers, carriers charge fees for switching eSIM, etc.) or require lengthy reauthentication procedures involving waiting for a TAN or PIN via physical mail.

IMO, having to factory reset the phone should be only taken into consideration if the device is otherwise completely inoperable.

[AlwinS]

Please try it nontheless, @Tekker. We can't help you here if you don't try our troubleshootings.

Please check out if our app Smart Switch can store the mentioned data: https://www.samsung.com/de/apps/smart-switch/

Kind regards

[Tekker]

Thank you for the recommendation. Correct me if I am wrong, but can Smart Switch only transfer data to another phone? I haven't found instructions on how to create a backup with it.

[JoelleE]

Hi @Tekker ,

you can also use Smart Switch to back up your data to an external storage device, PC or Mac and restore it from there. Take a look here: https://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/app/smart-switch

Kind regards

[Tekker]

So, I just got around to actually sit down and reset my phone in hopes it will solve the fingerprint issue.
Unfortunately, the fingerprint sensor still doesn't respond in any way, AND now I have to set up my phone again. Very frustrating...

How can this problem be solved?

[Tekker]

UPDATE to the backup and restoring functionality:
I am VERY frustrated!

The SmartSwitch Backup seemed to back up most things.
Unfortunately, after factory resetting my phone and trying to restore the backup, it reports that most of the data could not be restored. I thought that maybe there was an error and just tried restoring again, but to no avail... How can it not restore a backup that it made not even half an hour prior to restoring ON THE SAME DEVICE?

Essentially, I nuked my phone and need to start from almost the ground up... Oh, and due to it being set up as a "new" phone, I also had to reset my Galaxy Watch. But I made a backup right before it using Smart switch so that should at least get most basics set up, right? Well, it showed me the backup from earlier that was available to restore from, but that only restored the WiFi-Connection and login to Google. So I also lost my customizations (watchface, complications, widgets, modes) and training data although it was also supposed to be backed up...

The SmartSwitch solution lacks far behind the Google provided backup solution which comes with every Android smartphone.

To be honest, I am seriously thinking about not recommending Samsung devices anymore due to my experience with the promised solutions (SmartSwitch backups) not being usable. Also the support I have received from the official support channels (excluding the moderators here in the forum as you guys are obligated to recommending the official guidelines) has been more destructive than helpful, considering my current situation.