Until today, many users complained that the fingerprint scanner on Google Pixel smartphones is very slow compared to competitors. Recently, Google has released a list of screen protector brands that are recognized with the made for Google Pixel badge that are believed to not cause fingerprint scanning problems.
According to Google, all the screen protectors listed mean that their own team has tested them on every Pixel device and confirmed to work properly. It does not mean that using a screen protector from another brand will cause the screen or sensor to be damaged. However, if there is a problem, Google may not be able to help if the screen protector used is not recognized or has never been tested.
Google lists screen protectors for Pixel 7a, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a, Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. Here are some of the brands listed;
Zagg/Mophie
Spigen
Power Support
BigBen
OtterBox
Panzer Glass
Belkin
Itskins
UAG
Case-Mate
Mous
Caseology
Cesium
For more specific SKUs, the Google Support page has a table for everyone to reference. Google shares that every time the screen protector is changed, each finger needs to be re-scanned. The same goes for facial recognition. Based on my experience, it is better to use a certified screen protector if the device uses an optical sensor because that is the sensor that often has problems. For the Pixel 9 which uses an ultrasonic sensor, as long as the screen protector is of a quality type it will not cause serious problems.