dalao.ai

Family

An iOS Ethereum wallet being wound down: no new users from April 1, 2026, and existing users can stay until April 1, 2027.Reference profile

About Family

No longer accepts new users; existing users can keep using it until 2027-04-01. Announcement

Family is a non-custodial Ethereum wallet for iOS for sending, swapping and buying crypto, viewing NFTs and using dapps, with email-and-passkey Family Accounts. Its maker, LFE, was founded by Benji Taylor and acquired in 2023 by Avara (formerly Aave Companies). On February 3, 2026, Avara announced a wind-down: no new users from April 1, 2026; existing users can use the app until April 1, 2027, then reach funds at account.aave.com. The app is free, and the ConnectKit developer library is open source under BSD-2-Clause. Existing users need to plan a move; it no longer suits new users.

EditorialUpdated 10 min read

What it is

Family is a non-custodial crypto wallet for the iPhone. The homepage tagline is "Your favorite crypto wallet", followed by "Explore Ethereum with the best wallet for iOS." The listed features include sending, receiving and swapping tokens, buying crypto through Stripe, viewing NFTs with images, video and audio, connecting to dapps over WalletConnect, watching any address read-only, and using the app with or without an email or phone number.

The FAQ (last updated September 2024) says Family supports Ethereum mainnet plus layer-2 networks including Optimism, Base, Arbitrum, Polygon and zkSync; the app is iOS (iPhone) only, with no Android version; and the built-in chat runs on the open XMTP protocol, so it can exchange messages with users of other apps.

From 2025, Family added Family Accounts: users sign up with an email or phone number, add a passkey or password, and get a self-custodial wallet without having to manage a recovery phrase. Family Accounts also come with a web dashboard and a "Sign in with Family" option. The developer docs describe Family as a simple Ethereum wallet for iOS, paired with a web dashboard and an authentication experience.

Under the same brand sits ConnectKit, a React component library for adding a "connect wallet" button to dapps, published on GitHub under BSD-2-Clause.

The current status matters most: an announcement Avara published on February 3, 2026 says the Family iOS app will wind down over a year, with no new users from April 1, 2026, and existing users able to keep using it until April 1, 2027. On 2026-10-25 the homepage still showed an iOS download button and did not mention the wind-down.

Our goal is to offer the best wallet to transact with and increase access to the world of web3, where the next big wave of compelling web applications will live.

Stani Kulechov, Avara Founder and CEO, Family launch post

Core capabilities

First, self-custody without memorising a recovery phrase. A May 13, 2025 post starts with the problems of existing approaches: people store recovery phrases as screenshots or notes, HSM setups keep a central point of control, multi-party computation depends on outside parties, and simple PIN codes add new risks. The post says every Family Account is protected by two-factor authentication over email or SMS, so a leaked password or passkey is not enough to unlock the encrypted data without proof of device ownership; decryption happens only on the client, and the private key exists in memory only while the user is online; on the web, iframes isolate the decrypted key, and on iOS the key never leaves the device. Emails and phone numbers are stored hashed. Recovery works on any previously logged-in device, plus recovery codes that can be kept separately.

An April 2, 2025 upgrade post spells out what Family Accounts include: sign-up with a phone number or email; a web dashboard to view, send and receive assets in the browser; "Sign in with Family" for supporting apps; passkey-only login on iOS, with an optional password; and full-screen confirmation modals in dapps with transaction simulation. The post adds that a single passkey manages all of a user's wallets, with support for the major EVM networks.

Second, transaction previews. An August 16, 2023 post introduced Previews, built with Blowfish, which show the expected outcome before the user confirms a transaction, a signature request or a connection request. The November 11, 2024 launch post says the wallet also offers transaction simulation, Flashbots protection, approval management and backup management.

Third, features beyond the wallet itself. The launch post lists an in-app browser with tabs and bookmarks; scanner pairing with desktop dapps; Refuel, which bridges up to $50 of ETH from Ethereum mainnet to the layer-2 networks Family supports; messaging that can carry images, video, audio and crypto; and unlimited view-only wallets with real-time notifications.

Fourth, developer tools. The ConnectKit changelog runs from 0.0.2 on August 26, 2022 to 1.9.1 on June 13, 2025, 29 entries in all. Version 1.9.0, on April 2, 2025, added Family Accounts support. The posts say Family Accounts are EIP-1193 compliant, work with viem and wagmi, and can also be added on their own through the family npm package.

Fifth, everyday management. Help Center articles cover managing many wallets and wallet groups in Mission Control, importing from MetaMask and Phantom, backing up via iCloud or manually, stealth mode to hide balances, speeding up or cancelling transactions, moving spam tokens to the trash, reducing haptics and changing the app icon. The FAQ says sensitive actions such as signing transactions require biometric two-factor authentication.

Sixth, a third-party security audit. Zellic's report, delivered on February 28, 2024, covers the Family wallet iOS app over a review from January 29 to February 23, 2024. It lists 5 findings: 0 critical, 3 high and 2 medium, and records all of them as remediated.

Who it's for / Not for

Good fit: Current Family iOS users who need the wind-down timeline and a way out. Avara's announcement says that after April 1, 2027, users can reach their accounts and withdraw funds at account.aave.com with their existing credentials.

Good fit: Developers using ConnectKit. The latest commit on ConnectKit's main branch was at 2026-03-27 22:47 (UTC+8), and GitHub release v1.9.2, published 2026-03-24 21:45 (UTC+8), renames Family Accounts to Aave Account and swaps the family dependency for @aave/account.

Good fit: People studying wallet interaction design. Benji Taylor's "Family Values", published July 8, 2024, says the team designed Family around three principles, simplicity, fluidity and delight, and walks through its dynamic tray system: features live in trays that expand, contract and adapt to each action, so complex flows reveal themselves step by step. The essay also says the team accepted a slower launch pace in return for a world-class experience.

Not a fit: New users. Family iOS stopped accepting new users on April 1, 2026, and the announcement says the app will be reduced to account access and withdrawals.

Not a fit: Android, desktop or browser-extension users. The FAQ says the app is available only on the iPhone.

Not a fit: People who mainly use chains outside Ethereum. The FAQ lists Ethereum mainnet and several Ethereum layer-2 networks.

How it compares

Versus Rainbow: Rainbow's site now presents it as an app for trading markets on a phone, on iPhone and Android, covering crypto, prediction markets and perpetuals powered by Hyperliquid with up to 50x leverage, while stressing "your keys, your crypto". The company behind it is Rainbow Studio Inc.

Versus Rabby: Rabby's site offers a Chrome extension along with mobile and other browser versions, pitches itself as the best choice for all EVM chains; a user testimonial quoted on the site notes that it simulates and shows transaction results before signing.

Inference: Family's strength is design and onboarding on iOS; Rainbow has moved toward trading, and Rabby leans toward advanced users who use dapps often. With Family winding down, the realistic comparison when choosing a wallet is a product like Rabby that is still expanding its platforms.

Inference: For developers, ConnectKit itself has not been wound down with the app. On 2026-10-25 the GitHub repository showed 1,076 stars, 242 forks and 52 open issues, with the latest push at 2026-08-14 06:59 (UTC+8); version 1.9.2 has already replaced the built-in account with Aave Account.

Getting started

Step one: separate new users from existing ones. Family iOS sign-ups closed after April 1, 2026, so anyone without an account has to choose another wallet.

Step two: existing users back up first. The Help Center covers importing and restoring wallets via recovery phrase, private key and iCloud; for wallets created with Family Accounts, the May 13, 2025 post says recovery works through a previously logged-in device and through recovery codes.

Step three: plan the move. Avara's announcement says existing users can keep using the app until April 1, 2027, and after that reach funds and withdraw at account.aave.com. The safer path is to move assets to another wallet of the user's choice during the grace period.

Step four: if assets are spread across several wallet groups, go through each address and balance in Mission Control first, then transfer network by network; the user pays the network fees for these transfers.

Step five: developers upgrade ConnectKit. The GitHub release notes for v1.9.2 say the enableFamily option is renamed enableAaveAccount and the family dependency is replaced by @aave/account; on 2026-10-25 the Family docs still showed Family 0.1.2 and ConnectKit 1.9.1.

Pricing & license

The Family iOS app is free to download. The FAQ says Family charges no additional fees for using the wallet, while standard network fees still apply and are not collected by Family. Section 8 of the terms says the company does not currently charge for the services but may change that; network fees and third-party app fees are the user's own cost.

Licenses for the developer libraries: ConnectKit is BSD-2-Clause on GitHub and npm; the family and @aave/account npm packages are Apache-2.0. The latest family release, 0.1.6, was published at 2025-12-09 19:50 (UTC+8). The latest @aave/account release, 0.2.1, was published at 2026-08-11 23:35 (UTC+8). The iOS app itself is closed source, and the terms grant only a personal, non-commercial licence and prohibit reverse engineering.

Risks & limits

Wind-down risk. No new users from April 1, 2026, and after April 1, 2027 the app will be reduced to account access and withdrawals. The announcement gives no finer-grained migration schedule.

Out-of-date information. The homepage still shows "Download on iOS" with no wind-down notice; the FAQ was last updated in September 2024; the developer docs still show Family 0.1.2 and ConnectKit 1.9.1. Before deciding, go by Avara's announcement and in-app notices.

Entities involved. The terms and privacy notice name Family Labs Ltd as the operator; the App Store lists LFE, Inc. as the seller, with a "© 2024 Avara" copyright line.

The terms of service restrict use in some regions and for some purposes; see the terms for details.

Dispute resolution. The terms require binding arbitration and waive class actions; they also say the company may change or discontinue all or part of the services at any time without notice.

Recovery risk. The May 13, 2025 post says that if every recovery method is lost, not even Family can restore access. Self-custody puts the backup burden on the user.

Age requirement. The App Store web page shows 18+, and the terms require users to be at least 18.

How it got here

July 28, 2022: the family organization was created on GitHub, at 2022-07-28 22:33 (UTC+8).

August 26, 2022: the first ConnectKit changelog entry, 0.0.2. The ConnectKit repository was created at 2022-09-26 22:13 (UTC+8).

September 15, 2022: the Family blog published an explainer on the Ethereum Merge.

August 16, 2023: the wallet launched Previews, powered by Blowfish.

November 16, 2023: Benji Taylor announced on the blog that LFE, the company behind Family and earlier Honk, had been acquired by Avara (formerly Aave Companies), with the whole team joining Avara; the Family brand, the wallet app and ConnectKit would continue.

February 28, 2024: Zellic delivered its security audit of the Family wallet iOS app.

March 27, 2024: the App Store API records the first release at 2024-03-27 15:00 (UTC+8).

July 8, 2024: Benji Taylor published "Family Values", saying Family had been in the works for about two years.

November 11, 2024: Avara officially launched Family, describing it as a feature-rich, non-custodial crypto wallet with built-in messaging.

April 2, 2025: Family Accounts launched, with ConnectKit 1.9.0 adding support the same day. ConnectKit 1.9.1 followed on June 13, 2025, the last entry in the site changelog.

February 3, 2026: Avara published "The Future of Family Wallet", announcing the wind-down of Family iOS and the retirement of the Avara brand, with its products moving under Aave Labs and Lens handed to Mask. crypto.news reported the news the next day.

March 24, 2026: ConnectKit v1.9.2 was released, renaming Family Accounts to Aave Account.

April 1, 2026: Family iOS stopped accepting new users.

August 26, 2026: version 0.2.9 was released on the App Store at 2026-08-26 18:09 (UTC+8), with notes reading only "Bug fixes and improvements". Benji Taylor's personal site (updated August 22, 2026) lists later roles as Chief Product Officer at Aave Labs and leading design at Base, and now Head of Design for X and SpaceXSI at SpaceX.

Our verdict

New users: Family is no longer a fit. It stopped accepting new users on April 1, 2026, and after April 1, 2027 the app will be reduced to account access and withdrawals.

Existing users: the grace period runs until April 1, 2027; before then, assets can be moved to another wallet of their choice, which takes their recovery phrase, private keys or recovery codes.

ConnectKit developers: upgrading to 1.9.2 requires renaming enableFamily to enableAaveAccount.

Inference: Family's design and interactions are highly regarded among wallets, but its parent company has shifted focus to embedding wallet infrastructure in Aave's own products. Family's run as a standalone wallet and consumer brand is over.

Why it matters

Interaction design the whole industry now borrows from.

Sources

Official

  1. Familyfamily.co · Accessed Oct 25, 2026
  2. FAQs | Familyfamily.co · Accessed Oct 25, 2026
  3. Family App Terms of Service | Familyfamily.co · Accessed Oct 25, 2026
  4. Privacy Notice | Familyfamily.co · Accessed Oct 25, 2026
  5. Help & Support | Familyfamily.co · Accessed Oct 25, 2026
  6. Family Wallet iOS Application Security Assessment | Zellicfamily.co · Accessed Oct 25, 2026
  7. Changelog | Familyfamily.co · Accessed Oct 25, 2026
  8. ConnectKit Update 1.9.0 | Family Changelogfamily.co · Accessed Oct 25, 2026

Updates & reading

No articles or updates yet. Claim it and connect a feed.