Image: Apple
It was reported earlier this year that iPhone owners are at risk of having their devices stolen and their data accessed by thieves who watch them enter their passcode. The thieves can reset the Apple ID password and use Apple Pay, Apple Cash, and banking apps with the passcode. Apple said in a reply to this The Wall Street Journal report that it will keep improving the protections to help secure user accounts, but did not specify how.
But now we learn it may be working on hardware solutions to prevent “shoulder surfers” from seeing the screen, as it has two new patents for limiting screen visibility.
One patent is for a screen cover for curved screens that only lets light out in one direction. That means the user can see the display clearly, but onlookers see a blurred or blocked view. Meanwhile, the other patent is for a flat screen that lets the user change the viewing angle on a device like a Mac to filter the screen. It could also use polarization or liquid crystal elements so the visibility of certain colours is restricted when not directly viewed.
These patents may not become products soon, but they show Apple’s efforts to solve privacy problems. If you want to protect yourself now, try switching from a four-digit code to an alphanumeric one to make it harder for thieves to spy on you. You can change this in the Settings app under Face ID & Passcode → Change Passcode.