The Common Huawei Mate 20 Pro problems, and how to fix them

You’ve got your new Huawei Mate 20 Pro in your hands, but there’s something you’re not sure about or an issue that just doesn’t seem right. You may not be alone and your Mate 20 Pro may have a gremlin or two inside. Here’s our roundup of problems being reported regarding Huawei’s otherwise very impressive phone

PROBLEM: GREEN SCREEN TINT

Multiple cases of people complaining their phone screens have taken on a green tint, that only gets worse, have shown up online since the phone launched. Often most noticeable against a dark wallpaper or in low-light conditions, the green tint spreads from where the side of the phone curves and can extend over the top of the display

Currently, Huawei has not issued an official statement on the situation, which has affected other manufacturer’s phones in the past, although we have reached out to the company on the situation.  A post on the Huawei Community forum unofficially suggested affected users contact an authorized service center for assistance.

Potential solution:

• The best course of action is to contact a Huawei Service Center, your network, or the supplying retailer in the event of any hardware problem, as it should be covered under warranty. Visit Huawei’s website for information on the closest one to you.

GLITCH: IN-DISPLAY FINGERPRINT SENSOR

New technology can often be problematic, and while the Mate 20 Pro’s in-display fingerprint sensor is one of the better ones, it’s not perfect, and can become less reliable over time. If your fingerprint sensor is taking a few tries to unlock the phone, when it used to only take one, the best thing to do is re-register your fingerprint.

Potential solution:

• Open Settings on your Mate 20 Pro, go to Security & Privacy, then Fingerprint IDand enter your security code. Select the fingerprint registered that’s causing the problem, then Delete from the list that appears at the bottom of the screen. You will be prompted to add a new fingerprint, or if not, select New In-screen Fingerprint from the available options.
• If you have a screen protector fitted, this may affect registration or use. If possible, remove it and rescan your fingerprint. Additionally, some screen protectors may lower reliability of in-display fingerprint sensors, so check with the company that makes it before buying.

ISSUE: NOTIFICATION ICONS CAN’T BE SEEN

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro has a notch at the top of the screen, and the available display either side of it is not very big, leaving room only for the permanent icons such as battery, time, network signal, Bluetooth, and NFC. App and other notifications do not often appear. Turning off the notch under Settings will not cure this problem.

Potential solution:

• This is an issue with Huawei’s EMUI user interface over the top of Android 9.0, and any notched Huawei phone will be affected, rather than specifically the Mate 20 Pro. Currently, there is no solution to this, outside of providing feedback to Huawei. The company does listen to this, and alterations may arrive in a future version of EMUI.

PROBLEM: MISSING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FEATURES IN VIDEO

Artificial intelligence has been used to enhance still photos on Huawei phones for a while, and the Mate 20 Pro adds A.I. features to video as well. It’s possible to blur the background, isolate a particular color on screen or even add live filters to the footage. If your Mate 20 Pro doesn’t have these features, you may be running an out-of-date version of the firmware.

Potential solution:

• Firmware 9.0.0.122, or 9.0.0.126 will add these features, depending on your location, device spec, and network. Check the version your phone is running by going to Settings > System > About Phone. If it’s earlier than either of the versions above, go back a step and tap Software Update to prompt the device to check if a newer version is available.
• The release of new firmware depends on your network and location, so if it’s not, be patient as updated firmware is usually sent out in batches. Ensure you get the update promptly by tapping the menu button in the top right of the Software Update screen, then turning on the Auto-download Over Wi-Fi option.

Those are all the problems we’ve seen frequently reported with the Huawei Mate 20 Pro so far, but if others show up we will add them to the list, and help out with possible solutions, too.