The latest technical innovation announced by PayPal promises us the chance to pay more easily and securely but is it really going to change the way that we shop? By taking a look at how it works and who can use it, we can start to get a better idea of how big an impact this is going to have.
How Does This Technology Work?
The latest news revealed by PayPal confirms that the introduction of passkeys is limited to Android users in the US at the moment, so this isn’t going to make any difference yet to anyone else. Described as an easy and secure method of logging in, it can only be done on the Chrome browser on Android devices running Android 9. This follows on from last year’s introduction of passkeys on Apple computers and tablets.
It works by letting users log into their PayPal account without typing in any username or password. A cryptographic key pair is created, with a private key and a public one associated with the account. Those apps that support passkeys then match the public key to the private key to verify the user’s identity. The first step is to log into PayPal in the usual way and then choose to create a passkey, which will ask them to confirm their identity using a passcode or a biometrics approach.
What Are Other Popular Ways of Paying with PayPal?
Among the areas where secure banking is needed, we can find PayPal is already widely used, especially in the entertainment industry. For example, if we check high quality PayPal casinos in Ireland, we can see sites such as Luckland and Spin Casino. These casinos offer a range of payment methods, typically including Skrill, Visa and MasterCard as well as PayPal. In addition to the safety aspect and convenience, the users of these sites also look for fast, reliable transfers.
PayPal users can also use their service to pay for goods in some stores. This is done by selecting the in-store checkout method and then choosing the payment method that you want the money to come from, with Google Pay and Samsung Pay the current options. They also offer physical PayPal cards in certain countries.
This new approach by PayPal should be rolled out on a global basis if successful, since passkeys are more secure than alternative ways of signing and can’t be hacked. In addition, if there’s a website data breach, there’s no risk of customer data being accessed.
However, since this new approach is still only available on a limited basis, most people need to rely on the more traditional way of logging in and paying. Thankfully, PayPal has been around since the late 1990s and has proved to be a secure payment method since then. In 2022, they had a data breach and the relatively small number of clients affected were mainly Americans, which perhaps helps to explain why they’re focusing their passkey effort on the US for the moment.
The introduction of secure passkeys is a sign that we’re getting closer to the sort of world where we can access our money securely on mobile devices wherever we go. People from different countries will be eagerly watching to see how well the scheme goes in the US and how long it might take to reach elsewhere.
