Summary
- Keep an eye out for shoulder surfers while typing passwords on your e-reader.
- Passwords can linger on e-ink screens due to low refresh rates, which is common on these devices.
- There’s no fix, so you’ll need to be more aware of your surroundings if you’re punching in vital password on an e-reader.
While you can pretty much do anything you’d ever need to on a smartphone or tablet, sometimes having a dedicated device for a specific use can really have its advantages. For those that love to read, an e-book reader can be a game changer, offering weeks of battery life, a paperlike reading experience, and so much more.
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While these devices sip battery life compared to a tablet or phone, there are noticeable drawbacks to achieving this fantastic battery life, like a less than ideal refresh rate, ghosting, and screen artifacts. But it looks like there might be something new to be aware of when using an e-reader and that’s the fact that someone glancing over your shoulder may be able to uncover your password when it’s being typed in.
You may want to look over your shoulder when punching in passwords
User @kizuki_jpn was sharing their thoughts about the hot new sellerKobo Libra Colour on X (formerly Twitter) discussing the improved display and minimal ghosting effects. However, what they found next was quite surprising to them, as they shared an image of a password input screen with the punched in letters and numbers remaining on the screen clear as day.
Of course, this is the result of the e-reader’s low refresh rate, and while @kizuki_jpn discovered this on one of the latest readers you can buy, this is something that will also take place on an older or monochrome model as well. In fact, the users also confirmed this behavior themselves using a monochrome model as well. While this might be alarming, the problem does go away when the screen refreshes.
And if you’re concerned about this problem, then you may just want to look over your shoulder when typing out passwords. Personally, I wouldn’t let this kind of issue deter you from buying an e-book reader if you were looking, as it’s a small thing to worry about when, for the most part, you’re going to just be reading books, not inputting passwords for vital services.
It’s a good thing to be aware of. But let’s hear from you. Are you worried about this kind of issue? Or is it just something to deal with when using an e-reader? Let us know in the comments below.
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