Winter is coming at long last, after an extended and outrageously hot summer. Sadly that means the usual winter problems are coming with it, including cold air that inevitably causes my hands to dry out. Normally this is more of an annoyance than anything, but over the last few years it's started affecting my phone use.

Yes, that's right, cold weather has been interfering with how I use my phone. Specifically the under-display fingerprint scanner, a feature that is almost universally available on premium Android phones. It turns out, dry skin can affect whether those fingerprint scanners can recognize your digits. Thankfully, there's a useful hack that can help you out in a pinch — even if it is a little bit gross.

Obviously the best way to stop dry skin is to keep them moisturized, by whatever method or product you prefer. But I always forget about this until the effects of dry hands start to affect by day, at which point anything I do is reactive rather than preventative. That's no good in a pinch, but you know what is? Wiping your finger across your nose.

Yes, you read that correctly. It's a tip I first heard about back in 2023 after months of users reporting issues with the fingerprint sensor on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7. Various users that experienced ongoing issues realized that dryness was the root cause of a lot of their problems, and somehow figured out that the oils in your face (which concentrate on your nose and forehead) were enough to briefly alleviate the issues.

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