At least three different banks located in the U.K. have made the decision to temporarily interrupt their mobile banking services for Samsung Galaxy S10 owners. The resolution’s cause is numerous reports stating a security issue that affects the fingerprint scanner in the machines used for unlocking the smartphone and authenticating into banking applications.
The Issue Affects Samsung Galaxy S10 Users Worldwide
Among the banks that decided to pull their apps from Google’s Play Store for customers owning a Samsung Galaxy S10 were National Westminster (NatWest) Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland. As anticipated, customers started asking questions; the banks pushed the decision on the base of security concerns regarding the security of Samsung Galaxy S10 devices.
These U.K.-based banks are not the only financial institutions that took the decision to protect their customers. Some users on Reddit, one of them allegedly located in Israel, stated that their bank just removed the fingerprint authentication feature.
Another Reddit user from the U.S. claimed that their bank did not allow them to use Samsung Pay at an ATM. It is not clear if this happened because of the bank’s decision to protect its customers, or it was a technical error. However, Samsung Pay transactions can be approved with a fingerprint.
Another Samsung user, a client of the Nationwide Building Society, says that they were advised to delete their fingerprint from the smartphone.
The Fingerprint Scanner Problem
Approximately a week ago, a couple in the U.K. realized that their Samsung Galaxy S10 unlocked when utilizing a different fingerprint than it had recorded. After fumbling for a while, they discovered that the weird issue was caused by a cheap silicone case. When putting the protective case on a different Samsung mobile phone, they noticed the same behavior.
The matter affects the Galaxy Note10, and Note10+, also the Galaxy S10, and S10+, the Korean company announced in a statement the prior week. The issue is with the ultrasonic scanner reading the 3D pattern of the protective case rather than the user’s thumbprint.
Samsung announced that an update set to roll out this week would fix the problem. This solving should shift banks’ resolution to obstruct the access to the mobile app for users of Galaxy S10 or Note. They should also consider restoring fingerprint authentication.
