PayPal has announced that it is expanding access to its passkey login feature for Android users in the US. This feature was first introduced for Apple’s computers and tablets running macOS Ventura and iPadOS16 in October 2020. At the time, Google had not yet released stable passkey support for Android and Chrome, but PayPal promised to make the password alternative available to other platforms and countries in the future. By December 2020, passkeys were rolled out to stable Chrome. Now, PayPal is making good on its promise, with some limitations. The login option is not available for the payment processor’s Android app yet, and users can only activate it if they’re using Chrome on a device running Android 9.
Passkey logins allow users to access websites and services that support it without having to type in usernames and passwords. While it can use biometric authentication to verify a user’s identity, it’s not quite the same as current login tech that auto-populates login boxes using facial or fingerprint recognition. The technology creates a cryptographic key pair — one public and one private — that becomes associated with a user’s account. Apps and services that support passkeys use the public key to confirm a person’s identity by matching it to the private key, which is kept in the user’s device. Some password managers can now sync passkeys between devices as well.
To activate passkeys for PayPal on Android, eligible users have to log in the traditional way on a Chrome browser first. Then, the option to “create a passkey” will appear, and they will be prompted to verify their identity using their biometrics or their phone’s passcode. After they’re done setting up, they’ll find that they’ll no longer have to type in anything to quickly check out purchases with PayPal on Chrome. Passkeys also provide stronger security since they’re resistant to phishing. And, since one of the key pairs is kept on the user’s device, people’s login information won’t be compromised in case of an app or service data breach.
In conclusion, PayPal is expanding access to its passkey login feature for Android users in the US. This feature allows users to access websites and services that support it without having to type in usernames and passwords. It uses biometric authentication to verify a user’s identity and creates a cryptographic key pair that becomes associated with a user’s account. Passkeys provide stronger security since they’re resistant to phishing, and one of the key pairs is kept on the user’s device, ensuring that login information won’t be compromised in case of an app or service data breach. To activate passkeys for PayPal on Android, eligible users have to log in the traditional way on a Chrome browser first.