Some Pixel 6a unlock with any fingerprint

The latest Google Pixel arrives in stores this week and, at Voonze, we have already brought you our in-depth analysis of the Pixel 6a a few days ago.

Before launch, we learned that the Pixel 6a used a different fingerprint sensor than the controversial Pixel 6 / Pixel 6 Pro sensor. Now, however, a couple of videos are calling the reliability of that fingerprint sensor into question and, Above all, your safety.

Now, a post on r/Android links to two different YouTube videos demonstrating that the Pixel 6a’s fingerprint sensor doesn’t prevent unregistered users from accessing the phone.

The first clip comes from YouTuber Geekyranjit, who discovered that your device was unlocked using either of your thumbs, despite having only saved the fingerprint of his right thumb in the settings.

The second video, posted by the Beebom channel, is more worrying. Instead of simply unlocking with multiple fingers of the same user, several different people are able to unlock the Pixel 6a even though only two of them have registered fingerprints.

While these videos are certainly concerning, we weren’t able to reproduce the issue with our test unit.

At the time, we heard of similar issues with the Pixel 6’s fingerprint scanner, though those glitches seemed to come from users with screen protectors applied to the device. In that case, Google recommended specific screen savers from a set of brands and pushed out software updates.

That said, neither device appears to have a protector applied in these videos, and the unlock conditions for each phone appear to be in line with normal daily use.