This article explains what to do if you can’t open Phantom because Face ID, Touch ID, or another biometric method isn't working.
If Phantom is locked and your biometric authentication (Face ID, Touch ID, or fingerprint) isn’t working, for example, after water damage or a broken sensor, you'll see a message "Failed to authenticate" or similar. You'll need to reinstall Phantom and restore your wallet to fix this issue.
Warning: Biometric authentication is an additional security measure, not a replacement for your recovery phrase or PIN. Always back up your recovery phrase and keep your PIN secure.
- To make sure you can restore your wallet later on, confirm that you still have the following:
- Your 12-word recovery phrase (for recovery-phrase wallets).
- Your 4-digit PIN and access to your Apple or Google account (for seedless wallets).
- Export your recovery phrase before removing Phantom:
- If you're still signed in to Phantom on another device, such as the browser extension, you can export your recovery phrase by going to Settings → Security & Privacy → Show Recovery Phrase.
- If your wallet was created using Apple or Google account and you're logged in on extension, you can export a recovery phrase there as an extra backup.
- If you don't have your recovery phrase or PIN, you won't be able to restore your wallet after reinstalling Phantom.
- Uninstall Phantom from your device.
- Download Phantom from phantom.com/download or your app store.
- When prompted, decline the option to use Face ID, Touch ID, or other biometric authentication.
- Restore your wallet:
- If your wallet uses a recovery phrase, select I already have a wallet → Import Seed Phrase and enter your 12-word phrase.
- If your wallet was created using Apple or Google login, select I already have a wallet → Connect Email Wallet, sign in with your Apple or Google account, then enter your 4-digit PIN when prompted.
- When biometric authentication on your device works again, turn it on in Settings → Security & Privacy.