The SMB’s compass to digitalization  

3 min

Updated on Jan 17, 2023

Published on Jul 6, 2022

eSignature on tablets

woman signing on a tablet
Thomas Choukroun

Thomas Choukroun

Content Manager @Yousign

Illustration: Mélusine Vilars

Summary

With more than 1 billion sold worldwide since their inception in the 2000s, tablets are on a roll. These hybrid formats, halfway between a simple smartphone and a desktop computer, have found their targets. Worldwide, the tablet has nearly 840 million users, 30 million of whom are French. Admittedly, these figures pale in comparison with the 5 billion or so smartphone users in the world. But the fact remains that the tablet remains a tool of choice for its users.

Number of tablet users in France since 2012

While it is of course possible to use them offline, traditionally for word processing, drawing or design-related tasks (with their stylus in particular), tablets make sense when connected to the internet. Thus, signing electronically gives the user-friendly experience of signing on a PC, while being able to do so anywhere and at any time. However, beware! The term tablet can refer to many a thing.

Signature pads

If you have ever received parcels at home, or signed preliminary sales agreements at your estate agent's, you have already had to deal with these famous signature pads. They are mostly used by the postal services to confirm receipt of a letter or even a parcel. These tablets brilliantly mimic the uses of a handwritten signature on paper and are, in experience, very close to the traditional uses of paper: a stylus in place of a pen, a scribble at the bottom of the page, and then it's signed.

You close your door, the postman or postwoman has the signature of the receiver, irrefutable and precious proof that the parcel has been received by the right person. It's in the bag, end of article, let's wrap it up, guys!

The first thing that needs to be made clear is that a signature on a tablet is not an electronic signature in the eyes of the law and therefore has no legal value.  "Why not?" you might ask. Well, a signature on a tablet may not be directly linked to its signatory. There is no link established between the person who signed and the signature.

If we go back to our previous example (of the letter or parcel received by hand): the signature you put on the postman's tray is quite questionable in the eyes of the law, since anyone could have signed for you. Therefore, the identity of the person signing is not clearly established.

By the way, am I the only one who scilbbles on the postman's pad to certify that the parcel has been received? Well, this infamous scribble on the tablet can hardly be traced back to me. This is why a signature on a tablet is not equivalent to an electronic signature, and is therefore entirely open to legal challenge.

Basically, a signature on a tablet is roughly equivalent to signing with your trackpad on a Mac. It's easy, but it has no legal value.

Of course, in practical terms, it is difficult to imagine that someone outside our circle of family and friends could be in our home at the same time as a letter or parcel is being delivered, but the possibility that this could happen is not zero and therefore deserves to be covered by the law.

Tablet and electronic signature

Electronic signature on tablets is a real advantage for all parties involved in signing official documents. For businesses, signing electronically on tablets speeds up the signing of contracts and makes them more secure. 

For companies, electronic signature is a competitive advantage of choice, as it allows you to sign all your documents electronically very quickly on a tablet, from anywhere and at any time!

Signing on a tablet at the notary's office

Some of our readers have certainly already gone to the notary's office to sign preliminary sales agreements, or sales or purchase contracts. Some of them offer to sign on a signature pad that is quite identical to the one you might have at home, for example. In the light of what you have certainly read in the preceding paragraphs, you can strike me with the coup de grâce: "what difference can there be between the tablet that I sign in exchange for a parcel and the one at a notary's office?" Good question and thank you for asking it.

One of the differences is simply that the notary is a professional who can verify your identity, unlike an ordinary delivery person. Once all the signatories have signed the compromis de vente, the notary also signs it, thereby making the document an authentic deed

Unlike a simple signature on a tablet, the signing procedure at the notary's office is secure, completely legal and legally valid.

Signing electronically on a tablet thanks to Yousign

Electronic signature on a tablet can be done on any type of home tablet.
The DNA of the electronic signature is that it can be done securely from any type of device, whenever you want, wherever you want.

For Yousign, it was therefore essential to make the signature on tablet as user-friendly and ergonomic as possible, while maintaining the very high level of security of our web application on tablet.
Thanks to Yousign, you can very easily sign and have signed all your contractual documents from your tablet!

It is therefore easy, secure and, above all, 100% legal, since electronic signature on a tablet is highly regulated by European eIDAS laws. Signing electronically on a tablet is therefore possible and even highly recommended in order to secure your contracts and contractual exchanges while obtaining the best possible quality of service.

Do not hesitate to reach out to our team!

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https://fr.statista.com/statistiques/503544/nombre-utilisateurs-tablettes-france/

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