iPhone fingerprint sensor problems like wet fingers can be overcome by adding more fingerprints

No longer will you see that annoying shake when your phone doesn’t recognise your fingerprint, and you can save valuable milliseconds while you login

The Touch ID of an Apple iPhone 6 Plus gold, is shown here at a Verizon store on September 18, 2014 in Orem, Utah (Getty Images)

Every person who wants to use their fingerprint sensor to get into their phone knows the suffering of not being able to do it while your finger is wet. You wash your hands and then go to send a text – only to be met by a message saying your fingerprint can’t be scanned.

But that pain will be solved by just quickly adding a wet version of your thumb to your phone.

The fingerprint sensor works by storing a photograph of how your fingerprint looks. It requires scanning it repeatedly so that it sees it from different angles and so can work however people press it against the sensor.

But when it is wet, it smudges the sensor and so means that it can’t see what it’s looking for. Adding another finger – which is really just your wet finger – means that it is familiar.

It gets round the problem of not being able to get into the phone after washing your hands or in the rain.

On iOS, the option to add another fingerprint is found in the Settings app. In there, there’s an option for Touch ID & Passcode – which can also be found by searching at the top of the app – where there is the option to add a new fingerprint.

On Android, extra fingerprints can be added through the Settings app too. In there, you can click through to the Security options and then click Fingerprint, where you’ll find instructions.

On many phones and tablets, you can use the same tactic to add as many fingers as you want. That means that even if one of your fingers is wet – or otherwise incapacitated – then you can at least try the others.