Business up front: Why do I never want a rear fingerprint sensor again?

This topic has been a bee on my hood and a burr on my saddle for some time now, and since the rear fingerprint sensors seem to be following the path of the polar caps (too soon?), I thought it was now a fairly safe time to get my neck out on the subject.

I’m going to go out and say it: I hate rear fingerprint sensors. Ok that can be a bit a rather strong statement, but I certainly have no love for them. I understand why they have existed, of course. They have allowed Android phones to continue expanding their beautiful displays and shrinking their unattractive bezels. They’ve matured to become faster than other access methods, and they don’t consist of expensive technology or moving parts that potentially break or interfere with a smooth smartphone experience. And yet they just don’t do it for me.

Why am I like this?

Before you start yelling at me in the comments and telling me how wrong I am (I’ve already heard from my colleagues), let me take a minute to explain why I feel this way.

The simple fact is: I am not who you think I am. Sure, I’ve been writing for Android Central for a year, and I love my Android and Chrome OS devices as much as the next Google Stan, but I’ve also used an iPhone regularly for over 10 years and developed specific habits with how I maintain myself. and operate my devices.

You see, during my formative smartphone years, I got used to holding my phone in a certain way. I would rest it on my little finger of charge, open it with my thumb on the bottom home button, and navigate the screen with that same thumb, in the same hand. This was also true for the first Android phones I used, be it Samsung Galaxy devices, OnePlus phones, or Motorola phones.

When later fingerprint sensors became the norm, it had moved on to phones with facial scanning technology like the iPhone X series, Galaxy phones, and even the Pixel 4. I also regularly used phones with decent to good fingerprint sensors. on the screen like the S10, S20 and Note 10 series, or OnePlus phones from the 6T. I even used (and much preferred) phones with capacitive side-mount sensors, like some of the Sony Xperia phones, the Nexbit Robin (remember that one?) And the Galaxy S10e (still discrete, the best value in that line).

All that to say that the rear fingerprint lifestyle largely passed me by. When I use a phone with one of these sensors (like my Galaxy Note 9), constantly I have to retrain my brain to hold the phone in a different way than I’m used to, and then put it back the way I prefer. Sometimes I just say f% & k and type my password.

The rear fingerprint sensors just don’t feel comfortable to me.

For me, it comes down to how comfortable I am holding and using my smartphone. I like to open it quickly (either with a front sensor, on-screen sensor, or face unlock) and use it without changing the position of my hand. I’ve never been a two-handed user, and I like to navigate the screen (and type) primarily with my right thumb. When I have a phone with a rear-mounted sensor, I first have to hold the phone properly to unlock it, and then adjust my grip again so that it returns to the way I feel comfortable using it. It is a disconnect that is annoying, unnatural, and potentially dangerous to me. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dropped my Note 9 just because I was trying to unlock it and put it back in a prime position, with one hand.

Why can I be wrong?

I admit that I am probably a minority with this opinion. It could even be him only someone who writes or reads this website and feels that way.

When I asked the AC team for help finding an attractive headline for this article, more than one colleague laughed at my idea. Several of them had already written excellent counterarguments, in fact. Joe Maring wrote a fantastic editorial last year about his hatred for on-screen fingerprint sensors, and Hayato Huseman had another great opinion on why he loved and missed subsequent fingerprint sensors.

I know that many Android users feel that the back of the phone is the ideal place for a fingerprint sensor because they say it is a natural place for your index finger to rest when taking a phone out of your pocket. Another argument in favor of the fingerprint sensor that Hayato praises is the ability to control on-screen navigation through gestures such as swiping down to reveal the notification tone.

I can see the validity of these opinions, but they never carried much weight for me. Sure, it may be quicker to unlock your phone while taking it out of your pocket (how much of a rush are you, buddy?), But a phone with a good face scan like the Pixel 4 is even better, IMO. And I can even see how the functionality of using the fingerprint scanner as a navigator is an interesting and useful feature. However, in my experience, to act on that user interface, you must either use your other hand or push the phone back to a more useful position with one hand.

My teammates in AC think I’m crazy. What you think?

Ok, you know how I feel about this topic. Is there anyone else in the Android world who feels like me regarding rear fingerprint sensors, or am I a strange person? Let me know in the comments below!