Google Pixel and Nexus owners should think twice before going with the latest Android 7.1.12 Nougat. There are a number of reports saying that the fingerprint sensor of some Google Pixel and Nexus devices to become have stopped working after they were updated.
As Mashable reported, the affected devices so far are the Google Pixel and Pixel XL as well as the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. Owners who installed the latest Android 7.1.2 update all experienced difficulties with their fingerprints sensors. The new bug supposedly prevented them from unlocking their smartphones via the fingerprint sensors at the back of the devices. Furthermore, the owners were no longer capable of registering new fingerprints even after deleting the old ones.
Many of the "victims" of the new software update said that the "swipe down" gesture still pulls down the notifications which are highly indicative that they have not completely bricked their Google Pixel and Nexus devices. If this is the case, then the issue may just be caused by a certain bug which can be fixed by another software update. However, as BGR noted, Google has yet to acknowledge the problem and has not indicated if it has plans to release such an update or even if one is already in development.
Software updates are there to bring new features and fix issues such as bugs and security lapses. The opposite seems to have happened for the said Google Pixel and Nexus devices. For now, it is highly suggested that owners of the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P hold off on updating their devices. BGR also suggests to backup important data before installing new updates in case they turn out to be like the Android 7.1.2 update. As for those who already lost their fingerprint sensors, it is wise to change the passcode to something more secure and hard to guess.
