You Can Reactivate Fingerprint Sensor on Xperia XZ & Xperia X Compact

Those in the US are more than accustomed to their Xperia devices lacking the ability to unlock, among other things, via the fingerprint sensor. Going as far back as the Xperia Z5, the model phones Sony ships to the US are identical to those found in other countries except that via software, their fingerprint sensor is delayed. It’s never been quite clear as to why US models have the functionality turned off and for its part, Sony has only stated a vague “for business reasons” statement on the matter.

Though unconfirmed, the going theory is due to a patent issue (US 20120019356 A1) which describes itself as:

A machine including a processor, a power button, a fingerprint scanner coupled on the power button, and an authentication application executable by the processor for comparing a user fingerprint image with a stored fingerprint image.

If true, this means that unless Sony is willing to license the patent, they’re legally not allowed to provide it in the US and Sony can either turn off the feature via software which is far cheaper, or create a separate model just for the US which is far more costly. Seeing how little volume Sony does in the US, it’s not all that surprising that they’ve opted to simply turn off the feature and not license it. If they were selling Xperia devices in a meaningful volume, you can bet that the fingerprint sensor would be active on all shipped models.

As for those wondering about how say Samsung or Apple is able to provide the same feature – first, both companies do such high volumes that they can justify paying a licensing fee on each unit sold if needed – second, and more importantly, it’s doubtful this patent affects them as they each have a unique area that acts as the reader where for Sony, their reader does squarely lie on top of the power button which this patent covers.

Seeing how the limitation is software only, those brave enough to do it can follow a guide put together by the gang at Xperia Blog. Keep in mind that flashing your device’s firmware can always be a tricky thing so if you are going to do it, I wouldn’t do it right before an important meeting or vacation. However for those of you with a knack for tinkering, it’s looking like you can get back that lacking fingerprint sensor.