[Updated] Google Pixel 7 & 7 Pro lock screen notifications not showing & poor fingerprint sensor issues surface

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on October 17, 2022) follows:

The new Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are already in the hands of many lucky users. This means that there are already some opinions about the user experience offered by these devices.

Among the multiple opinions, the first issues that users are finding are also emerging. Here we have covered the criticisms on the quality of the Pixel 7 series speakers and the fast charging speed.

Now, multiple Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro users are reporting that the lock screen notifications are not showing and that the fingerprint sensor performance is poor or unreliable.

Many Google Pixel 7 users are finding that the notification previews do not appear on the lock screen when ‘face unlock’ is enabled.

Can I face unlock while still seeing notifications? My 7 Pro arrived two days ago (early, I love it) and I’m loving the face unlock. I set it to “Skip lock screen” so it unlocks as soon as it recognizes my face instead of clicking the screen once it’s acknowledged me. Anyway, I’ve noticed that means that when my phone is locked but the display is on, I can’t see notification previews anymore.
Source

Pixel 7 Lock screen notifications not displaying. After about an hour of searching the internet, I finally realized why I was not able to see full notifications on my lock screen even though I have show all content turned on. Apparently if you are using face unlock and you have bypassed the lock screen turned on it will not show you full notifications on the lock screen.
Source

Unlike last year’s Google Pixel 6, the new Pixel 7 and 7 Pro support face unlock. However, this only works to unlock the devices from the lock screen.

This means face unlock can’t replace your fingerprint, pattern or PIN for sensitive things like unlocking apps or approving payments. This is because this version of face unlock is the classic and insecure ‘2D face scan’.

Returning to the issue, reports confirm that lock screen notifications are not showing whenever face unlock is activated. So, you just need to disable the ‘face unlock’ feature for notifications to reappear.

Had this same issue, it’s due to the face unlock skipping the lock screen option. If you turn that off the notifications come back
Source

There is no official acknowledgment of this issue from Google yet. So, users will have to wait for further updates on the topic in the future.

The other reported issue will be very familiar to many previous Google Pixel 6 users. More specifically, Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro fingerprint sensor behavior is poor and unreliable for many.

Pixel 7 Fingerprint Sensor Flaking Out? Just got a lemongrass Pixel 7 as a replacement for my 5 (even swap with Verizon). I hated giving up my dedicated fingerprint sensor but read that the 7 was fine. I have added fingerprints to the 7 twice now and still, it will not unlock or authorize on any app.
Source

Pixel 7 finger print sensor recognition poor. I’ve now added and removed my thumb 20+ times. I’ve got my left thumb in there 4 times now and it’s still very unreliable. Is there anything else I can do to help it? How are other people’s experiences? Seems especially bad at night where it goes from ~40% success in light to near 0%.
Source

As a reminder, Google Pixel 6 series fingerprint performance was erratic and unreliable for many months. Also, those phones don’t support face unlock (even after Android 13 update).

That said, the cause of the problem could be incompatibility with certain tempered glass protectors. Some users report that the Pixel 7 series fingerprint sensor behavior improves a lot by removing the screen protector.

So, it is likely that, currently, the fingerprint sensor only works properly with official Google screen protectors.

Also, Google is reportedly aware of the issue according to a Redditor. The company could be working on a fix to improve the Pixel 7 series fingerprint sensitivity in a future update.

I just chatted with Google Support regarding this issue and they said it’s a known issue right now and they working to resolve it with a software update.
Source

However, there is still no official word from the company on this issue. We will update this story as events unfold.

12:35 pm (IST): A user reports that a friend was able to unlock his Google Pixel 7 using the fingerprint scanner, which is a serious security issue.

My friend UNLOCKS my Pixel 7 with Fingerprint!

Showed my friend my new pixel 7 and as he is holding it he intuitively presses the fingerprint sensor, and to both our surprises, it freaking unlocked!

We tried again, and every time it unlocked first time! Though only with his right thumb.
Source

It’s worth pointing out that a similar problem was reported on the Google Pixel 6a in the middle of this year.

02:15 pm (IST): Just ahead of the December security update’s rollout, we are still seeing plenty of disgruntled Pixel 7 owners who are still not happy with the performance of the fingerprint scanner.

All they can hope is that the upcoming update improves it, but there’s no guarantee.

12:30 pm (IST): Pixel 7 users are now getting December 2022 update which brings potential improvements for the fingerprint sensor.

03:38 pm (IST): Although Google released improvements for fingerprint scanner with December update, users are still reporting (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) that it isn’t working properly.

06:23 pm (IST): Google has released some potential improvements for fingerprint scanner with January 2023 update.

So if you are still facing problems, then try updating your device to the latest firmware and see if the issue persists.

01:02 pm (IST): It seems that the January update has enhanced the fingerprint recognition for some Pixel 7 users.

P7P’s fingerprint reader is WAY better for me after January update
Title really says it all. The update notes from Google inferred that the Pro would not be included in the fingerprint reader improvement updates, but it’s noticeably better on mine. Faster and much more consistent.
Source

01:20 pm (IST): Some users are again reporting issues with the fingerprint sensor on Pixel 7. Luckily, it has been escalated to the product team for further investigation.

05:48 pm (IST): Google has recently released a software update for March 2023 for all compatible Pixel smartphones running Android 13 that includes bug fixes for improved fingerprint recognition and response.

Hence, impacted consumers can attempt an update on their devices to see whether it resolves the poor fingerprint sensor issue.

NOTE: You can also check the Google Pixel 7 series bugs/issues and updates tracker.

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.