🛡️ Be aware: Foundation will NEVER ask for your seed words, device PIN, or call you unexpectedly. If anyone does, it's a scam.

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Legacy Mode is a compatibility environment that allows selected open-source cryptocurrency apps based on Ledger applications to run on Passport Prime. Ethereum and Solana are the first supported coin apps.

Legacy Mode and its coin apps are installed separately. You must install Legacy Mode first because it provides the environment in which the coin apps run.

Legacy Mode is currently in beta. It requires KeyOS 1.4 or newer.

Before You Start

You will need:

All packages supplied through the official Foundation download are signed by Foundation. Passport Prime verifies the package before installing it, so you do not need to enable Developer Mode or install a publisher certificate.

Only download Legacy Mode from the official Foundation GitHub repository . If Passport asks you to add a publisher certificate while installing one of these Foundation packages, cancel the installation and check where the file came from.

Download and Extract the Apps

Download the Legacy Mode bundle from the Legacy Apps releases page . The bundle contains three ZIP files:

  • Legacy Mode
  • Ethereum
  • Solana

Extract the main bundle, then extract each of the three ZIP files inside it. Each inner ZIP contains an .app file and checksum files. The .app files are the packages you will copy to Passport Prime and install.

You may install Ethereum, Solana or both, but Legacy Mode itself is always required.

Copy the Apps to the Airlock

The Airlock is the part of Passport Prime storage that can be shared with a connected computer. It is read-only whenever it is first connected.

  1. Unlock Passport Prime and connect it to your computer with a USB-C data cable.
  2. Open Files on Passport Prime and select Airlock.
  3. Tap the three-dot menu and select Airlock Read and Write.
  4. On your computer, open the drive named AIRLOCK.
  5. Copy the Legacy Mode .app file and the .app files for any coin apps you want to install onto the AIRLOCK drive.
  6. Wait for the files to finish copying, safely eject AIRLOCK from your computer, then disconnect Passport Prime.

The Airlock automatically returns to read-only mode after you disconnect it.

Install Legacy Mode

  1. On Passport Prime, open Settings.
  2. Select Apps.
  3. Tap Install App.
  4. Select Airlock and choose the Legacy Mode .app file.
  5. Review the installation information and confirm the installation.
  6. Wait for the App Installed confirmation, then tap Done.

Passport validates the package before installing it.

Install Ethereum and Solana

After Legacy Mode has been installed:

  1. Return to Settings > Apps > Install App.
  2. Open Airlock and select the Ethereum .app file.
  3. Confirm the installation and wait for App Installed.
  4. Repeat the process for Solana if you want to install it.

Ethereum and Solana can be installed in either order, but both must be installed after Legacy Mode. If you try to install a coin app first, Passport will tell you that its Legacy Mode dependency is missing.

The Installed Apps screen should show Legacy Mode and each installed coin app, with Foundation shown as the publisher.

Set Up Legacy Mode

Return to the Passport Prime home screen and open Legacy. Ethereum and Solana appear inside Legacy rather than as separate icons on the main launcher.

The first time you open Legacy, choose how to set up its seed:

  • Enter Seed Words derives accounts from an existing BIP39 recovery phrase.
  • Create New Seed creates a new seed for Legacy Mode accounts.

If you are moving a supported account from Ledger, entering the same recovery phrase allows Passport Prime to derive the same account keys without moving assets to new addresses, provided the account uses supported derivation settings and does not depend on an optional BIP39 passphrase. Verify the first account address against your existing wallet before relying on it.

Enter recovery words only on Passport Prime. Never type them into your computer, a website, a browser extension or a software wallet, and never share them with anyone. Foundation will never ask for them.

Optional BIP39 passphrases are not supported in the initial Legacy Mode beta. If an existing account depends on a passphrase, do not attempt to use that account through Legacy Mode until passphrase support is available.

Open a Coin App

After setup is complete:

  1. Open Legacy from the Passport Prime home screen.
  2. Select Ethereum or Solana.
  3. Connect Passport Prime to your computer over USB when prompted.
  4. Open your compatible software wallet and connect to Passport Prime.

The beta has been tested with Rabby for Ethereum and other EVM networks, and Phantom for Solana.

Always verify addresses and transaction details on the Passport Prime screen before approving them. Recovery words and private keys remain on Passport Prime.

Troubleshooting

Install the Legacy Mode .app package first, then install Ethereum or Solana again.

Make sure you extracted both the main bundle and the individual app ZIP files inside it. Passport installs the files ending in .app, not the ZIP files.

Also confirm that the .app files finished copying to the AIRLOCK drive before you disconnected Passport Prime.

This is expected. Open Legacy from the home screen, then select the coin app from inside Legacy Mode.

Stop and confirm that you entered the correct recovery phrase. An account may also use an unsupported BIP39 passphrase or different derivation settings. Do not transfer assets until you have verified that the addresses shown by the software wallet match your existing account.

Confirm that:

  • You selected the correct coin app inside Legacy Mode
  • Your USB cable supports data, not only charging
  • No other wallet application is trying to use Passport Prime at the same time
  • You are using a supported software wallet and its latest available version

Legacy Mode is in beta, so compatibility with other software wallets may vary.

Current Beta Limitations

  • Ethereum and Solana are the first and currently supported coin apps.
  • Optional BIP39 passphrases are not yet supported.
  • Seed Vault cannot yet be used to quickly load and unload Legacy Mode seeds.
  • Software wallet compatibility remains under active development.

Trademark Notice

Ledger and BOLOS are trademarks of Ledger SAS. Foundation is not affiliated with Ledger, and Legacy Mode is not sponsored or endorsed by Ledger. References to Ledger are for identification and compatibility purposes only.