Created by the Fido Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium, passkeys replace passwords with cryptographic key pairs - a public one stored in the cloud and a private one stored in the user’s device.

Initially available on Apple devices, existing customers that log in to PayPal with a browser on desktop or mobile web using their PayPal credentials will have the option to "create a passkey."

Customers will then be prompted to authenticate with Apple Face ID or Touch ID. Then the passkey will be automatically created, and the next time the customer logs in they won’t need to use or manage a password.

PayPal says that passkeys are both more secure than passwords and easier to use for customers.

Doug Bland, SVP and GM, head of consumer, PayPal, says: "We are excited to provide our customers a more seamless checkout experience that eliminates the risks of weak and reused credentials and removes the frustration of remembering a password."