Embedded wallet vs your own wallet

When you sign in to 4rho, you have two choices:

Embedded wallet — created automatically when you sign in with email or passkey. Privy splits the key between your device and their service so neither side alone can move funds.
External wallet — a wallet you already own (MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, Rainbow, WalletConnect). You hold the keys; 4rho asks for signatures.

Both options give you a real Polygon address that holds your USDC on-chain. The difference is who has the keys.

When to use the embedded wallet

You want the fastest path to your first trade.
You're new to crypto and don't want to manage a seed phrase.
You'd rather sign in with email or a passkey than a wallet popup.

The embedded wallet keys are split between your device and Privy's service. Neither side alone can sign — the device shard never leaves your browser, and the Privy shard requires your authenticated session.

When to use your own wallet

You already have a wallet you trust.
You want a single seed phrase to back up.
You move funds between many dapps and prefer one signing experience.
You want to verify on-chain activity in a wallet UI you already use.

If you connect MetaMask or another external wallet, 4rho only asks for signatures — never the seed phrase, never the private key.

You can switch later

Adding or unlinking wallets is in Settings → Account. You can link multiple wallets to one account, but only one wallet is the primary wallet that shows up in the navbar and that 4rho prompts you to sign with.

Recovery realities

Embedded wallet — if you lose access to the email or passkey you signed in with, you may lose access to the wallet. Link a backup email or device while you can.
External wallet — if you lose your seed phrase, your funds are gone. 4rho cannot help. Back up your seed phrase the day you make the wallet.

What about the funds themselves?

Whichever path you pick, your USDC is held on-chain by the Exchange contract, not by 4rho. That contract is the same regardless of which wallet you signed in with. Your address is what differs.

Embedded wallet vs your own wallet

When you sign in to 4rho, you have two choices:

Embedded wallet — created automatically when you sign in with email or passkey. Privy splits the key between your device and their service so neither side alone can move funds.

External wallet — a wallet you already own (MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, Rainbow, WalletConnect). You hold the keys; 4rho asks for signatures.

Both options give you a real Polygon address that holds your USDC on-chain. The difference is who has the keys.

When to use the embedded wallet

You want the fastest path to your first trade.

You're new to crypto and don't want to manage a seed phrase.

You'd rather sign in with email or a passkey than a wallet popup.

When to use your own wallet

You already have a wallet you trust.

You want a single seed phrase to back up.

You move funds between many dapps and prefer one signing experience.

You want to verify on-chain activity in a wallet UI you already use.

If you connect MetaMask or another external wallet, 4rho only asks for signatures — never the seed phrase, never the private key.

Recovery realities

Embedded wallet — if you lose access to the email or passkey you signed in with, you may lose access to the wallet. Link a backup email or device while you can.

External wallet — if you lose your seed phrase, your funds are gone. 4rho cannot help. Back up your seed phrase the day you make the wallet.