PayPal is bringing Passkeys to Android devices for a welcome security boost

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PayPal has further expanded its support for passwordless logins with the announcement of passkey support for some Android users, however only some of those 'some' will actually be able to use it.

The online payments platform can be credited with being among the first adopters of passkeys, but the rollout has been far from speedy.

Back in October 2022, the company announced that it had brought support for passkeys to Apple's platforms to certain US citizens. Five months later, the company has added support for Android devices.

Passkeys for PayPal

Now supported on the two main mobile operating systems, there are still a handful of limitations that mean that not everybody will be able to transition to passkeys.

Only personal account holders will be able to benefit from the more secure login method leaving many businesses uncatered for including sole traders, and they have to reside in the US.

To set up a passkey, eligible PayPal users will need to be running Android 9 Pie or later, which accounts for 92% of all US installations (via Statcounter). PayPal's press release also states that support is "starting on Android mobile web" thus it is unclear whether the app will gain support from day one. TechRadar Pro has asked PayPal to confirm.

As ever, customers in other markets must wait for US customers to successfully adopt the new technology first, however PayPal has finally hinted at expansion, indicating a wider rollout to other countries in early 2023.

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Despite its cautious rollout, PayPal still remains one of the leaders in passkey adoption with other companies failing to adapt so quickly, though the transition to a passwordless future now looks to be one step closer at least.

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