Users of the Google Pixel 2 XL are experiencing a noticeable slowdown in the responsiveness of the fingerprint scanner after they updated to Android 8.1 Oreo. The issue has already been reported at the official Google support forums, so the makers of the device are definitely aware of the problem. They are working on an update to fix the issue as of this time.
A user on the official Google support forums said that the issue was first reported on Reddit. However, it did not take long for other users to confirm that the problem is happening for many them, as well. Most of the user responses shared that ever since the Android 8.1 update, the Pixel 2 XL's fingerprint scanner took "a good second" to respond and actually unlock the phone.
There were reports that said the issue is not confined to the fingerprint sensor, though. Some users said that even turning on the display to get to the lock screen via the power button has slowed down since the update.
A suggested quick fix for the issue is to turn on the "Always On Display" feature on the Pixel 2 XL. However, this might cut the battery life of the device.
It should be noted that the issue only exists on some phones. Not all users experience the apparent slowdown brought by the most recent Android update.
Meanwhile, experts at Google are still working on a fix. The issue has been escalated, and the support team is collecting data and information that might help them properly address the issue. Presumably, a fix for the slowdown will be rolled out sometime in the near future.
The Android 8.1 update was distributed earlier this month. Among the slew of various performance enhancements, it came with memory optimizations for phones that have less than 1 GB of random access memory (RAM).
