Light Sleeper - Samsung Galaxy S10 Can't Tell When it's in a Pocket

[HarryNyquist]

It seems the new Galaxy S10 can't figure out whether or not it's in a pocket, judging by reports on reddit and the Samsung forums. It's hopefully a software bug and therefore fixed easily, but this continuing trend of devices or software being released untested is just unacceptable, especially when the hardware + software in question is a $1000 flagship device. Doubly so, considering not turning on in your pocket is a fairly simple thing that hundreds upon hundreds of (cheaper) phones can do without problem.

 

https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/03/15/the-galaxy-s10-cant-tell-when-its-in-your-pocket-keeps-waking-the-screen/

Quote

On most phones, the proximity sensor knows when something is pressing on the phone, be that your ear while on a call or the fabric of your pocket. The GS10 seems to only use the proximity sensor when you're on a call. So, it's easy for your leg to trigger the tap to wake feature through the fabric of your pocket. Users report their phones waste battery and activate buttons on the lock screen while in their pockets. Using the lower screen sensitivity mode doesn't seem to have any effect—the phone still wakes up. The only way to prevent this is to turn off tap to wake and ambient display, which makes the phone harder to wake up with that power button way up near the top.

https://us.community.samsung.com/t5/Galaxy-S10/Galaxy-S10-Tap-to-wake-activates-in-pocket-FIX-THIS-SAMSUNG/m-p/476809#M3226

 

 

[LukeSavenije]

but what if it isn't in your pocket?

 

panic mode activated

[Guest]

Not OK Google.

 

 

 

 

 

(I know it's a Samsung issue, but no one uses Bixby.)

[ZestyJalapeno]

Clearly the issue here is people should stop having pockets, and instead wear their phones. What a great con move by Samsung Wearables division, Apple won't see it coming

[Curufinwe_wins]

Yeah that seems like something that shouldnt have any problem tuning considering everything has always worked. I bet its actually related to pressure from the skin/pocket being capable of activating the ultrasonic scanner (and or directly waking up the device) instead of the proximity sensor itself being tuned poorly.

 

Sucks. Gotta fix these things.

[TVwazhere]

10/10 title, @rcmaehl would be proud

[Rupe]

It has happened to me a couple times, I pull my S10+ out of my pocket and it has told me I have failed to use the fingerprint scanner 5 times and should either wait or put in my passcode

[Fnige]

Now it's time to invent pocket detection.

[rcmaehl]

On 3/15/2019 at 2:28 PM, TVwazhere said:

10/10 title, @rcmaehl would be proud

Glad to see people can make up for the missing witty titles while I'm busy with life

[suits]

Weird mine doesn't do this. I even tried lol, I wonder what he doesn't have on or what I don't have. I have my always on screen off, and pocket recognition on.

[Guest]

can’t happen on an iPhone all I’m saying 

[SenKa]

5 minutes ago, floofer said:

can’t happen on an iPhone all I’m saying 

Yeah, because Apple is a 1.5-2 years behind the tech curve now a days. It will probably be happening on an iPhone in that time! 

[ARikozuM]

IT'S A FEATURE! 

 

Also, how many different denim fingerprints are there? Can the gf get through if she wears my pants? 

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, SenpaiKaplan said:

Yeah, because Apple is a 1.5-2 years behind the tech curve now a days. It will probably be happening on an iPhone in that time! 

Haha nice joke, cheers for that.

[RejZoR]

I don't really see it as a big issue. So it has a broken proximity sensor. It's not like software update can't fix it because it's clearly a software issue.

[DrMacintosh]

3 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

So it has a broken proximity sensor.

Why are the proximity sensor and finger print reader linked in any way?

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Why are the proximity sensor and finger print reader linked in any way?

You know what they say about the S10E, a moment on the lips a lifetime on the hips.

[DrMacintosh]

I don't think I've witnessed a single case of an iOS device improperly reading a fingerprint while inside a pocket. Just my anecdotal experience. 

 

Its probably more likely that the power button is being pressed (or activated by your thigh meat) and the pockets of peoples pants pushed up against their thigh is obviously not a fingerprint so the scan fails.

 

Also there is no reason the proximity sensor would be involved fingerprint unlocking. If the proximity sensor is involved when using the fingerprint reader on the S10........why? 

 

I think that because the power button is capacitive (duh)....there isn't really anything Samsung can do about it. If they "tune down the sensitivity", or use a Qualcomm equivalent of the motion co-processor (embedded in every A series SoC in Apple devices since the 5s) to determine that the phone is in a pocket; which would tell the system to stop accepting fingerprint input, they would still have to sacrifice unlocking speed.  

 

Shoulda just got it right the first time. 

[RejZoR]

16 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Why are the proximity sensor and finger print reader linked in any way?

So it doesn't trigger fingerprint false positives and locking the phone requiring you to use the PIN because it would consider them as failed attempts. Otherwise any time you'd pick it from pocket you'd have to use PIN in the end because it would trigger fingerprint reader in pocket and consume all the failed attempts without you actually failing to ID yourself with a finger.

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, RejZoR said:

So it doesn't trigger fingerprint false positives and locking the phone requiring you to use the PIN because it would consider them as failed attempts. Otherwise any time you'd pick it from pocket you'd have to use PIN in the end because it would trigger fingerprint reader in pocket and consume all the failed attempts without you actually failing to ID yourself with a finger.

Then that’s just bad design. 

 

How would the proximity sensor relay to power button that it’s ok to accept input? When nothing is present within a few in? When there is something present at all? Obviously with something touching the proxy sensor the phone believes it’s ok. 

 

You see the problem right? Tying the proxy sensor to the finger print reader in this way can only cause false positives and negatives. It’s a terrible idea and should be removed immediately. 

 

Why cant the power button just only accept input when it’s clicked? Why does the proxy sensor have to be involved at all? 

 

 

Here is a logic test: 

If the dispay is on and phone is locked -> Activate fingerprint reader.

 

If power button is clicked and phone is locked -> Activate fingerprint reader. 

 

If proxy sensor detects an object x units away -> activate fingerprint reader

 

Now which of those doesn’t make any sense? 

[RejZoR]

I just stated an example of what it could be used for. Maybe it's cheaper power wise to do phone state check with proximity sensor that might be a separate low power cluster than tripping a CPU and asking it "oy, is the screen on?"

[DrMacintosh]

5 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

Maybe it's cheaper power wise to do phone state check with proximity sensor that might be a separate low power cluster than tripping a CPU and asking it "oy, is the screen on?"

If I’m not mistaken Qualcomm should have some implementation similar to the Motion Co-Processor. Power draw on such a component is minuscule and gives said device immense gains in positional awareness without having to fire up the SoC and can relay the recorded info.

 

Choosing to not use it would be foolish.  

[SenKa]

Its probably something with the under screen finger print reader being too sensitive, tbh.

 

My Note 8 hasn't done this once with its back-mounted fingerprint reader (and I don't have a case, so its not like my pants just dont touch it.)

 

Im upgrading to the Nokia Pureview 9 as soon as I can afford it 

[mynameisjuan]

10 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

Why does the proxy sensor have to be involved at all? ....

If proxy sensor detects an object x units away -> activate fingerprint reader

Because you guys are looking at it wrong and the second sentence if not even what happens. 

 

Three important things

1. Touch to wake

2. Unlock without waking

3. Thighs can trigger touches.

 

You touch the screen you can wake it and if you touch by the FP reader you can unlock it. If you put the phone in your pocket your thigh can trigger touches. This happens especially if you are sweaty. 

 

Hence why proxy should be used when in a pocket. Samsung has been doing this for years even with just preventing a screen from staying on in your pocket or purse if the button is accidentally hit. Its  a good design used to prevent phones just staying on or butt dialing. 

 

So yes, it makes perfect sense to involve the proxy. 

[vanished]

So just don't use tap to wake?  That seems like an easy solution.  I've never bothered myself not just because I find it completely unnecessary, but because I assumed this was a likely issue one would have with it anyway.  Does anyone remember when mp3 players had a physical sliding switch on them to lock out the controls?  That's basically what the power button is now.  The screen takes no input until that is hit to wake it up.  If you do away with that, you've opened pandora's box and there's no telling what might randomly happen.  Bad idea.