As a payment provider, the security of your PayPal account is critical. If someone can access your account, they could withdraw money from your PayPal balance or authorize payments.
One of PayPal’s features that you need to be careful with is “automatic logins.” They can save you the time of manually logging every time you want to make a payment; however, you should only ever use it on devices that only you have access to.
Tip: Technically, “automatic logins” is a misnomer; it’s more like you’re not really ever logging out. Your session cookie is configured to remain active for a long period of time rather than expiring after a short period.
Why PayPal’s Automatic Login Can Be Dangerous
The problem with automatic logins is that if someone else has access to your device, they have access to your PayPal account and can pay with your money rather than their own. For example, if you allow PayPal to automatically log you into an eCommerce store and someone else has access to your device, they could change the delivery address and pay for items via your PayPal.
You can review and revoke automatic logins via PayPal’s settings. To access the settings, click on the cogwheel icon in the top-right corner of the website.
Once you’re in PayPal’s settings, switch to the “Security” tab, then click on “Auto-logins” to review where your account can automatically sign in.
In the popup, you can then review where you can automatically login from. If you want to remove a device or platform from the list, click “Turn off” for the relevant device.
Unfortunately, you can’t disable the service entirely. To avoid using it, just make sure you don’t click to option to “Stay logged in for faster purchases.”
Jeff Bridgeport says
Things changed recently. Apparently Paypal is now forcing us to commit to staying logged in. They now send an email each time I access paypal. If I don’t want to stay logged in for that IP address *(which I NEVER do because its a VPN IP address – GEEZ) I need to respond to their email, and then be directed to a page where I choose to log out. EACH TIME.
I’ve been to their support process and was informed that this is just how it is. There is currently no setting to Opt Out.
I CAN”T BELIEVE a company as large as Paypal would institute this policy accidentally, and I can’t imagine how much fraud this policy could potentially result in.
SO I’m at a loss to understand how it could be, but yet here it is.
Again, I’m using a VPN. The IP address that they are “keeping logged in” is an IP address that potentially several hundred people are using. Maybe there are no hacking tools to exploit this situation – given that this is all supposed to be guided on SSL connections – but there may be, and this necessity to login is one precaution that Paypal itself is choosing to eliminate.
Amalya says
Hello, I forgot to explain in my earlier message that the reason I did not want to register the mobile number of the device is because the device registered by Paypal as a “trusted device ” is a shared device. I do not have a separate mobile number. Once I enter the mobile number of this shared device (designated as a trusted device) in order to sign in, I can never remove this number unless I have two other numbers registered (which I do not have). I would appreciate any advice. Thank you
Amalya says
I was just informed by Paypal that:
“We’ve made it easier for you to check out with PayPal. Since we recognize this device, we’ll automatically log you in so you can skip typing your password at checkout.”
I was so alarmed! I want to type my password. I do not want any one to be able to access my accounts by staying logged in. It says that I can turn of the Trusted Device status by clicking on the blue word “here”but all it does is bring me to a page where I am forced to enter the mobile number of the “trusted device”, which is another piece of information I do not want Paypal to have. So unless I do so, I am unable to access my account to switch off the Trusted Device status of my mobile. I feel like crying. Is there anything I can do? Is there anybody out there who can help? Thank you
Joe says
I was just informed by Paypal that:
“We’ve made it easier for you to check out with PayPal. Since we recognize this device, we’ll automatically log you in so you can skip typing your password at checkout.”
What a HORRIBLE idea for Paypal to have. I *WANT* to type my password at checkout! This is the most basic foundation of my security for electronic payments!
I also am getting the message “Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again later…..”. when I try to turn off auto-login on the McAfee website. But I gather from the wording of everything I’ve seen that this is going to be forced on us – my suspicion is that even if they fix that particular function on their website, every time I log in to make a payment in the future, they’re going to turn it back on. :-( :-(
Tricia Shields says
This did not help. I keep getting the message “Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again later…..
Not good since I am trying to pay bills for my job and it keeps wanting me to use my own paypal account.
Dave Perris says
There is no cogwheel icon!
I need to disable automatic log on a device, please advise.
Pat Russo says
This didn’t help because I keep getting the message “Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again latter” for 3 days now.