Why your wallet is your account

Almost every messenger you use asks for a phone number. It is convenient: everyone has one, and it doubles as a way to find your friends. But a phone number was never designed to be an identity, and it shows.

The trouble with phone numbers

• Your carrier controls it. A convincing call to the right support desk can move it to someone else's SIM card.
• It is not private. A phone number links to your name, your address and every other service that has it.
• It changes. Move country or switch plans, and your identity goes with the old number.

What a wallet does differently

A wallet is a key pair that you generate and keep. Nobody issues it to you, so nobody can take it back. It can prove that a message came from you by signing it, which is exactly what signing in to Ledger Chat does. And it can pay, which turns a conversation into a place where things get settled.

What it costs you

There is a real trade off. If you lose your recovery phrase, nobody can reset it for you, including us. We think that is worth it, but we would rather you choose it knowing, so we say it plainly on the sign in page and in the documentation.