Phantom email login: how Google and Apple wallets work

Quick steps

1. Install the official Phantom. Download the app or extension from phantom.com or the official store listing.
2. Choose Google or Apple sign-in. On mobile, tap continue with Apple or Google; in the extension, create a new wallet and choose the email option.
3. Sign in and pick a username. Sign in with your Google or Apple account and create a Phantom username; in the extension, also set a browser password.
4. Secure the Google or Apple account. Turn on two-factor authentication and use a strong, unique password for that account.
5. Export the recovery phrase. Open the security settings, show the recovery phrase and write it down as an offline backup.

Phantom's email login (the extension calls the option "Continue with Email") is a way to create and restore a wallet with an existing Google or Apple account. It removes the scariest step for beginners, writing down 12 words, but it shifts the risk to a different place. This page explains how it works as of October 2026, based on Phantom's help centre and developer documentation.

How Google and Apple wallets work

When you create a wallet this way, you sign in with Google or Apple, choose a username and start using Phantom. To open the same wallet on another device, you sign in with the same account. Account names, icons and linked wallets sync between devices (Phantom help centre, 2026).

Behind the scenes, Phantom says new Google and Apple wallets, and its Cash account, use Phantom KMS, a key management system that keeps wallet keys inside secure enclaves (trusted hardware environments on servers) rather than on your device. Your device holds a separate authenticator key that signs each request, and the KMS checks that signature and its own policies, such as spending limits, before it signs a transaction (Phantom help centre and developer docs, 2026). Phantom describes these wallets as self-custodial and says "You still control your keys and can export them."

That is a different design from a classic recovery phrase wallet, where the keys are stored only on your own device. Whether you are comfortable with keys held in enclaves operated by Phantom is a personal judgement. The upside is convenience and an extra policy check; the downside is reliance on Phantom's infrastructure and on your Google or Apple account.

The 2026 change: no more PIN

Google and Apple wallets used to require a four-digit PIN as part of sign-in and restore. Phantom has been migrating these wallets to Phantom KMS so that you sign in with your Google or Apple account alone (Phantom help centre, 2026). Key points from Phantom's help article on the change:

• The migration is offered through an in-app prompt. You confirm you still have access to the linked Google or Apple account.
• Phantom says the prompt does not change the assets in your wallet. If you dismiss it, nothing changes and you may be asked again later.
• Phantom recommends a strong password and two-factor authentication on the Google or Apple account, and says more security options, such as additional factors, are on its roadmap.

Some help articles still describe the PIN, because not every wallet has migrated. If your wallet still uses one: you can reset it in the security settings while signed in, and after seven wrong attempts Phantom deletes the encrypted backup on that device.

Rules worth knowing before you choose it

• One wallet per account. Each Google or Apple account can have one active wallet, which can hold several accounts.
• Google and Apple are separate. Signing in with Apple and with Google creates two different wallets, even with the same email address.
• The link is permanent. You cannot change which Google or Apple account a wallet uses, or link one to an existing recovery phrase wallet.
• No private key export per account. The option to show a private key is unavailable for KMS wallets; Phantom says the recovery phrase is the way to back them up.
• Only the first account restores automatically. On a new device, recreate your other accounts and they reappear.
• Imported wallets are not covered. Wallets you import with another phrase or key need their own backups.
• Device locks are local. Face ID, a fingerprint or the extension password unlock Phantom on that device only.

Email login vs recovery phrase: the trade-offs

For many people the best of both is to use a Google or Apple wallet day to day and also export the recovery phrase once, writing it on paper. That backup does not depend on Google, Apple or Phantom's servers. For large amounts, a Ledger connected to Phantom keeps keys on a device you hold.

If you lose access to your Google or Apple account

Phantom's help centre is blunt about this. If you are still signed in to Phantom on any device, export the recovery phrase now and store it offline; you can then restore the wallet by importing the phrase. If you are logged out on every device and cannot get into the Google or Apple account, Phantom says the wallet cannot be recovered. Recovering the Google or Apple account itself is a matter for Google or Apple, not Phantom.

To find which email a wallet is linked to, Phantom suggests checking the connected apps in your Google or Apple account settings or searching your inbox for Phantom's welcome email.

Protecting an email login wallet

1. Turn on two-factor authentication (an authenticator app or passkey is stronger than SMS) on the Google or Apple account.
2. Export the recovery phrase and store it offline, as explained in our seed phrase guide.
3. Watch for phishing aimed at your Google or Apple login, not just at Phantom. Taking over the account is now a route to the wallet.
4. Never share your recovery phrase or PIN. Phantom support will never DM you or ask for them.

If you think the wallet may be compromised, Phantom's advice is to move funds through a temporary recovery phrase wallet, delete or reset the old wallet and create a new one; see wallet drained.

Frequently asked questions