Fingerprint Sensor Not Working on Acer Swift 3 SF314-71

Hardware Support
1

Hello everyone,
I am new to Zorin OS and Linux. I am using an Acer Swift 3 SF314-71 laptop. I see that my laptop has a fingerprint sensor but I don’t know how to use it or set it up for login.

ZorinOS version: ZorinOS 18 core

Model: Acer Swift 3 SF314-71

Could anyone please guide me step-by-step on how to enable fingerprint login? Is my fingerprint sensor supported on Zorin OS?
I don’t know how to check if the device is detected or how to install drivers for it. Any help for beginners would be appreciated!

Thank you!

2

Hi and welcome.

Unfortunately not all fingerprint readers work with the Linux kernel.

Please open a Terminal (Menu | Utilities | Terminal) and enter:

lsusb

and report back the results please.

3

Hi, Give a look at that page : Acer Swift SF314-71 Computers

The different probes show that the fingerprint card doesn't have a driver in any linux kernel versions.

Maybe, there is no solution.

If needed, you can make your own probe with hw-probe : Create a probe

4

I have an Acer Swift Edge SFE16-43, and I was able to register my fingerprints on my original Zorin 18 Core installation. I had some problems, restored from a Rescuezilla backup image, and now I have several fingerprints registered and working but my device refuses to register any more, even one which was working first time round. Bizarre...? Ideas welcomed... :slight_smile:

5

Hi I would still like to see what comes back from:

lsusb
6

Here you go:
$ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 062a:5918 MosArt Semiconductor Corp. 2.4G Keyboard Mouse
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 10a5:a305 FPC FPC L:0000 FW:1425037
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0489:e102 Foxconn / Hon Hai Wireless_Device
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 002: ID 04f2:b7a0 Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd ACER QHD User Facing
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 006 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 007 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 008 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub

7

It appears it is not listed which means the Linux kernel does not have a driver for it:

" Fingerprint readers on the Acer Swift SF314-71 (and similar 3/Go models) often use unsupported proprietary sensors (e.g., EgisTec or Elantec) that lack native Linux drivers, making them frequently non-functional. Support depends on libfprint/fprintd drivers, which currently may not cover this specific hardware.

Actionable Steps for Troubleshooting:

  • Identify the Sensor: Run lsusb in the terminal to find the specific Vendor:Product ID for your sensor.
  • Check Compatibility: Search the fprint supported devices list for your ID.
  • Install fprintd: Install the necessary packages for fingerprint support in your distribution (e.g., sudo apt install fprintd for Ubuntu).
  • Community Support: Check forums like Acer Community for specialized community-driven fixes.

Currently, there is no official Linux driver from Acer for this model's fingerprint sensor, as these laptops are designed for Windows.

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AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more"

1 Like
8

I think that is the fingerprint sensor:

Bus 001 Device 003: ID 10a5:a305 FPC FPC L:0000 FW:1425037

2 Likes
9

Well spotted. The man 'flu' is affecting my observation!

" The USB device ID 10a5:a305 corresponds to an FPC FPC L:0000 FW:1425046 fingerprint reader, commonly found in Acer notebooks like the Swift SFE16-43 and SFG14-63 series.

Driver Status

  • No official kernel driver is available for this device in Linux kernels up to version 6.12, according to the Linux Hardware database.
  • The device is not supported by standard Linux distributions out of the box, as confirmed by multiple user reports across Arch, Ubuntu, Fedora, and Linux Mint systems.

Workarounds and Solutions

  • libfprint : The open-source libfprint project is the primary effort to support fingerprint readers like this one. However, 10a5:a305 is not yet supported in upstream libfprint .
  • Community Patches : Users have reported success using custom-patched versions of libfprint or third-party repositories. Check GitHub for community projects such as:
  • Manual Installation : Some users have managed to get similar devices (e.g., 10a5:9800) working on Linux Mint and Debian by installing drivers from third-party sources (e.g., a ZIP file with install.sh ), though this is not guaranteed for 10a5:a305.

Recommendation

  • Check if your device is actually 10a5:a305 using lsusb to confirm.
  • Search GitHub and Linux forums for "libfprint support for 10a5:a305" or "FPC L:0000" to find the latest community patches.
  • Consider using Arch Linux AUR packages or custom builds if you're technically comfortable.

:warning: Note : The driver from DriverMax is Windows-only and not usable on Linux .

AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts."

1 Like