PIN, Face ID and fingerprint unlock in the apps
The iOS and Android apps ask for a 6-digit PIN — or Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint — each time they start. What the PIN protects and if you forget it.
On a phone, your mailbox stays signed in and your keys stay on the device so that opening the app is instant. The PIN is the gate in front of that: a 6-digit code, stored only on the phone, that the app asks for every time it is started. If the phone supports it, you can answer with Face ID, Touch ID or a fingerprint instead of typing.
The PIN exists only in the apps. The web app never asks for one — a browser tab is protected by locking or logging out instead.
Set up the PIN
You are asked the first time your mailbox unlocks on a phone, whether you signed in with a password or paired from another device.
- On Create a new 6-digit PIN, tap six digits on the keypad.Web & desktop screenshotCreate a new 6-digit PIN — six boxes and a keypad.This capture is produced by the screenshot pipeline and will appear here.
Create a new 6-digit PIN — six boxes and a keypad.Web & desktop iPhone screenshotCreate a new 6-digit PIN — six boxes and a keypad.Same screen as on the web, single column. This capture is produced by the screenshot pipeline and will appear here.Create a new 6-digit PIN — six boxes and a keypad.iPhone Android screenshotCreate a new 6-digit PIN — six boxes and a keypad.Same screen as on the web, single column. This capture is produced by the screenshot pipeline and will appear here.Create a new 6-digit PIN — six boxes and a keypad.Android - On Confirm your 6-digit PIN, tap the same six digits. If they differ you see PINs do not match — Please start again.
- If the phone has Face ID, Touch ID or a fingerprint reader set up, the app asks Enable Biometric Login? Tap Use biometrics and confirm with your face or finger, or tap Enter PIN to stick with the code.Web & desktop screenshotEnable Biometric Login? — Use biometrics, or Enter PIN to keep the code only.This capture is produced by the screenshot pipeline and will appear here.
Enable Biometric Login? — Use biometrics, or Enter PIN to keep the code only.Web & desktop iPhone screenshotEnable Biometric Login? — Use biometrics, or Enter PIN to keep the code only.Same screen as on the web, single column. This capture is produced by the screenshot pipeline and will appear here.Enable Biometric Login? — Use biometrics, or Enter PIN to keep the code only.iPhone Android screenshotEnable Biometric Login? — Use biometrics, or Enter PIN to keep the code only.Same screen as on the web, single column. This capture is produced by the screenshot pipeline and will appear here.Enable Biometric Login? — Use biometrics, or Enter PIN to keep the code only.Android
Your PIN keeps working either way; biometrics are a shortcut, not a replacement. If the phone does not recognise you, type the PIN.
Unlock the app
- Open the app. If biometrics are on, the system prompt appears straight away — look at the phone or touch the sensor.
- Otherwise, or if the prompt is dismissed, type your six digits on Enter your 6-digit PIN. A wrong code shows Incorrect PIN — Please try again. and clears the boxes.Web & desktop screenshotEnter your 6-digit PIN on every launch.This capture is produced by the screenshot pipeline and will appear here.
Enter your 6-digit PIN on every launch.Web & desktop iPhone screenshotEnter your 6-digit PIN on every launch.Same screen as on the web, single column. This capture is produced by the screenshot pipeline and will appear here.Enter your 6-digit PIN on every launch.iPhone Android screenshotEnter your 6-digit PIN on every launch.Same screen as on the web, single column. This capture is produced by the screenshot pipeline and will appear here.Enter your 6-digit PIN on every launch.Android - What comes next depends on your account:
- Password only accounts open the mailbox directly.
- Passphrase accounts on iPhone also open directly — the passphrase is kept in the iOS keychain after your first unlock. On Android you type your passphrase after the PIN.
What the PIN does and doesn't protect
- Does: it stops someone who picks up your unlocked phone from opening the app and reading your mail. It is checked on the phone before the app touches your keys.
- Doesn't: it is not part of your encryption. The PIN never leaves the phone, is not known to the server, and cannot be used to sign in anywhere else. Your password, passphrase and two-factor code are unaffected by it.
- Number of attempts: the app does not lock you out after wrong PINs. Do not rely on the PIN as your only protection on a phone that is not itself locked with a passcode.
- Locking the account from the account menu does not bring the PIN screen back — it takes you to the unlock screen for your account's method. The PIN is asked when the app is launched.
Forgot your PIN?
There is no PIN reset and no way to change the PIN from Settings in the current version. To set a new one, sign out and sign in again:
- If you can still get in (for example with biometrics), open ☰ › your name › Log out. If you cannot, delete the app and reinstall it — both clear the PIN.
- Sign in again with your password, or pair the phone from a device that is still signed in with My devices › Show a code.
- Create a new PIN when asked.
Logging out clears everything the app kept on the phone, including the passphrase an iPhone had saved. To open your mailbox again you need to type your passphrase, or pair from another device that is still unlocked. Make sure you have one of the two before you log out.
What our server sees
Cannot see
- Your PIN, whether biometrics are on, or when you unlocked the app — all of this stays on the phone
Can see
- The ordinary sign-in and sync traffic once the app is open
Common questions
Can I use 4 digits?
No. The PIN is always six digits.
Can I turn biometrics off later?
Not from Settings in this version. Log out and sign in again; when the app asks Enable Biometric Login? tap Enter PIN.
Does the app ask for the PIN when I switch away and back?
No. The PIN is asked when the app starts, not each time it returns to the foreground. Your phone's own lock screen covers the rest.
Why did my iPhone open the mailbox without asking for my passphrase?
Once you have unlocked once, the iOS app keeps your passphrase in the device keychain so the PIN or Face ID is all you need. Logging out removes it.