Here’s How To Fix The Polarized Screen Issue With The Galaxy S10

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The Samsung Galaxy S10 is a special device for a number of reasons, but that does not mean it won’t have flaws. One major issue some users are now reporting is that the Galaxy S10 screen is not properly visible through polarized sunglasses.

What is the polarized screen issue with the Galaxy S10?

Users who wear sunglasses while using the phone have been complaining about the polarized screen issue with the Galaxy S10 on several product forums, including Samsung’s Forums, Reddit, Android Central and XDA Developers’ forums. The issue was first reported by tech site PiunikaWeb.

Polarized Screen Issue
Image Source: forums.androidcentral (screenshot)

Specifically, users say the screen can’t be seen while they’re wearing polarized sunglasses.

“Anytime I wear my polarized sunglasses, the display on the phone appears to distort and the color on the display gets very tinted, to the point where I can’t see it with my sunglasses on,” one user reported on Samsung’s forums.

Most users say they are experiencing the polarized screen issue with the Galaxy S10 only in portrait mode, but when they turn it to landscape mode, the screen becomes normal.

“I noticed today that when wearing polarized sunglasses I can’t view the screen in portrait mode due to the polarizing on the screen, it just looks pretty much black. I have to turn it to landscape to view it properly,” one user said on XDA Developers’ forums.

However, other users are experiencing the polarized screen issue with the Galaxy S10 in both portrait and landscape mode. Further, users say they tried with different pairs of sunglasses, but the issue was apparent both times. Many users have shared images to demonstrate the issue.

Here’s how to fix it

It appears users have found a very simple solution to the problem as well. Many claim removing the screen protector which came with the S10 fixed the issue for them.

“Removed my screen protector this afternoon because of this issue. It took care of the problem and now I can see the display with my polarized sunglasses on!” one user said on Android Central’s forums.

There were no such issues with previous Samsung devices, including the S7, S8, and S9+. This suggests the screen protector is likely at fault. To prove the point, many users even provided evidence, like by placing the screen protector on their PCs. One user who did it shared two images: one taken normally and the other through polarized sunglasses. As can be expected, the screen was barely visible in the image taken through polarized sunglasses.

Another user removed half of the screen protector from the S10 and then took a photo of the screen through polarized sunglasses. The result was the same; one half was clearly visible, while the other half showed an array of blurry colors.

Polarized Screen Issue
Image Source: Imgur/bbm182 (screenshot)

Thus, it is almost confirmed that the issue is with the screen protector rather than the device itself.

“That pre-applied garbage is not a screen protector. It’s a piece of thin flexible cellophane. Take that garbage off your screen as soon as you get the phone cause it’s going to protect your phone as much as Paul Blart,” one user said in a post on Reddit.

Major flaw with face unlock on Galaxy S10

Another issue some Galaxy S10 users are reporting is with the face unlock feature. Users complain the feature is not secure enough, and they were able to unlock the phone using selfies, selfie videos, and even a sibling’s face. Most experience the security issue when a setting called “Faster Recognition” is enabled. This security setting reduces the security of the device.

Popular YouTuber Lewis Hilsenteger uploaded a video on his channel Unbox Therapy demonstrating the Galaxy S10’s face unlock flaw. Hilsenteger was able to bypass the lock screen by playing his own video on another phone and then holding it in front of the Galaxy S10. The YouTuber conducted the same test several times and was able to unlock the S10 on all attempts.

Popular app teardown expert Jane Manchun Wong claimed in a tweet that she was able to unlock her brother’s Galaxy S10 with her face. Wong adds that her brother then disabled the face unlock feature to prevent such breaches going forward.

There is also an easier way to fix this flaw and continue using the face unlock feature. Many users say switching off Faster Recognition via the Settings menu addresses the flaw for them. We should point out that Faster Recognition is enabled by default, and that is why so many users are experiencing the problem.

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