Asus’ ZenFone 5 Lite Android Pie update started rolling out in July 2019. For a device that came preinstalled with Android Nougat, this was definitely a welcome update for many.
On top of all the goodies that come with Pie, the update also tagged along an unwanted bug that has now become a pain in the neck for users of the device. After the Pie update, multiple ZenFone 5 Lite (ZC600KL) units started experiencing issues with sound quality.
Unsurprisingly, users of the standard ZenFone 5 also experienced audio issues at some point, although this wasn’t necessarily related to the update to Android Pie.
While the issue has since been fixed through a software update, the ZE620KL model has now developed another issue related to biometric authentication (both fingerprint and face unlock) following the latest July 2019 security update.
Poor sound quality after ZenFone 5 Lite Android Pie update
For some reason, the update to Android Pie downgrades the audio quality on the ZenFone 5 Lite. Understandably, several unhappy users took to the official ZenTalk forums to vent their anger about the buggy ZenFone 5 Lite Android Pie update.
From the complaints, it seems the update not only comes with poor audio quality but also low volume, with some using terms like “very bad” and “irritating” to describe the sound coming from the device.
So terrible is the quality of sound that some ZenFone 5 Lite users are requesting for a way to roll back to the previous build that worked flawlessly. Unfortunately, Asus says it’s not possible to roll back to Nougat so you’ll just have to live with the issues, at least for now.
Yes, at least for now! Because the issue has already been picked up by moderators in the ZenTalk forums, who claim the company is already looking into the matter and they’ll provide an update soon.
Slow fingerprint scanner, face unlock after ZenFone 5 July security update
Apparently, the update that brought audio fixes for ZenFone 5 users also introduced another annoying issue – slow fingerprint scanner and face unlock.
After the update to software version 16.0615.1905.102 or even the newer 16.0615.1905.105 that installs July 2019 security patches to the ZenFone 5, using either the fingerprint scanner or facial recognition tech to unlock the device has become quite a painful experience.
Out of the box, Asus promises a response time of just 0.3 seconds for the fingerprint scanner, but it now takes 1 to 2 seconds after the latest update. Not even deleting and registering your fingerprint data afresh, restarting the phone or even doing a full factory reset fixes the issue.
Take a look at what some of the complainants have to say:
I did a whole factory reset to my phone because of this terrible firmware update. But nothing changes. Unbelievable!
The fingerprint became slower and not as responsive as before the update. The fingerprint unlock has a slow response when I unlock the phone with the screen off. It takes 1 to 2 seconds to unlock the phone. I’ve reset the fingerprint data but still, nothing changed. I hope Asus can fix this issue immediately
I have the same issue, the fingerprint is super slow after the update. In general, the whole responsiveness of the phone is much slower
The face unlock feature, on the other hand, is supposed to “rapidly unlock your phone”, but this isn’t the case following the update to builds 102 and 105. To say the least, this is pretty annoying, especially if you have gotten used to either.
According to one affected user:
I reset my facial data. I created a new face definition. It is still opening late.
Of course, they aren’t the only ones experiencing these issues even after deleting current face and fingerprint data.
I have the same problems like described above, reset and such like solutions give no results.
Please, fix it in the next update (as quickly as possible) – this is my first big issue for years using Asus’s productions.
More issues with biometric authentication have been reported by multiple users of the device on this thread and like the audio quality issue on the Lite model, Asus is looking into it.
We don’t know when both fixes will be released, but with the matters now in the hands of Asus developers, the bug-fixing updates should arrive soon. Rest assured, we’ll be keeping a tab and will let you know as and when the fixes get live.
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Dr. Aparajita Sharma
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A budding entrepreneur by profession, and a psychologist by education. As a founding member of PiunikaWeb, I am nurturing this firstborn with my sharp-eyed expertise and even journalistic writing when needed.
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