A beginner friend sent me a screenshot and asked me: he searched for "Binance" in the app store and found several apps with icons that looked pretty similar, so he didn’t know which one to install to register. I took a look—turns out all of them were fake.
Registering with a phone app is actually more convenient than using the web version, because later you’ll need to take photos of your ID card and your face for verification—so the phone app gets you through it in one go. But the prerequisite is that you install the correct app. This article walks you through it in order: install the app, register in the app, complete identity verification, and then you can trade.
Step one: get the installer from the official website
To check if it’s genuine or not, there’s only one standard: check the domain. Only trust binance.com.
Registration entry: https://www.binance.com/zh-CN/join?ref=WIN98
For iPhone, you need an Apple ID from a non-mainland region (Taiwan is fine) to find the App in the App Store. If you search with a mainland-region ID, you won’t find it. Switching IDs only requires tapping your profile picture in "Settings", logging out of the App Store section to change the account number, while keeping iCloud unchanged—photos and contacts won’t be affected.
https://download.binance.com/pack/BNApp_F0001674.apk
You can also go to Binance’s official website and scroll all the way to the bottom—there’s a "Download" entry. Accessing it from there works the same.
Don’t install any of these three kinds of Apps: promoted listings in search engine ads, installation packages forwarded in group chats, and third-party modified packages with names like "accelerated version", "mainland version", or "dedicated line version". The third one is the most dangerous—the interface looks exactly like the real one. Once you log in with your account and password, your credentials will be stolen.
On Android, when you tap Install, the system may show the message "Installation of unknown-source applications is not allowed". This is normal, not an error. Go into settings to enable installation permission for your current browser, then go back and tap Install again to complete installation. Brands like Xiaomi and Huawei may add one more step for security scanning—after it finishes, tap Continue to install.
iPhone requires a non-mainland Apple ID (Taiwan works) to find the app in the App Store. You can’t find it when searching with a mainland-region ID. To switch IDs, go to "Settings" and tap your avatar, then in the App Store section sign out and switch accounts; keep iCloud as-is so photos and contacts are not affected.
Step 2: Register in the App
Open the App, then tap "Register" on the home screen.
First choose the registration method—either a mobile number or an email works. For users in mainland China, using a +86 mobile number to receive SMS is more reliable. Set the country code to +86.
The key is on the next screen: there’s a collapsible section called "Referral code (optional)"—tap to expand it, enter WIN98, and then all trading fees will automatically be returned at 20%. In the long run, it’s basically trading at 80% of the fees. This section is collapsed by default. If you just keep tapping Next, it’s easy to skip past it. Since you can’t change it after binding, open it and fill it in during registration.
Then set your password: at least 8 characters, and you must include all four types—uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Check the service terms, drag the slider to verify, enter the 6-digit verification code you receive—then your account is created.
If you’ve already registered on the website, just log into that same account in the App—don’t register a new one. Your referral relationship follows the account, so switching phones or devices won’t affect it.
Step 3: Do real-name verification in the App
Tap your avatar at the top-left corner, go to "Identity Verification", and choose Basic Verification.
Select nationality in China, choose ID type as ID card, and take photos of both the front and back. Key photo tips: make sure the lighting is even and there’s no glare, all four corners are fully in the frame and not covered by your fingers, don’t reshoot the screen using the original document, and don’t crop or apply beauty filters.
Then do facial recognition: remove your glasses and hat, avoid backlight, and follow the prompts to turn your head and blink. This step requires a stable connection and real-time uploading—if it gets stuck, you’ll need to redo it.
After submission, results can come out in a few minutes. Don’t resubmit repeatedly—if too many failures happen in a short time, the verification entry may be temporarily locked.
Step 4: After installation, do these two things first
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA), then bind an authenticator app in "Security". When binding, write down the backup key string shown on the page and store it somewhere other than this phone. If you lose your phone, reflash it, or switch to a new phone, account recovery depends on this string—saving only a screenshot to your photo album doesn’t count.
Also, in the App, set up Face ID or fingerprint unlock for Binance. Then go to "Device Management" and take a look to kick out any login devices you don’t recognize.
Step 5: Deposit funds
On the App home screen, find C2C, choose USDT, tap Buy, and you can pay with Alipay, WeChat Pay, or a bank card.
When choosing a merchant, look at the number of completed deals, the completion rate, and the release speed. Prefer older merchants with a verification badge. Leave the payment memo/remarks completely blank—don’t write letters like U, USDT, or "Binance" (or other similar terms). After you click "Paid", wait for the release.
At this point, the account is fully usable.
A small reminder about updating the App
Install the Android version packaged from the official website. App updates won’t go through the app store—you’ll need to come back to the official website at intervals to download the latest version and install over the existing one. Installing over it won’t lose data. Some new features are only available in the latest version, so don’t use an old version from a year ago.
Three safety reminders
The official App will never ask you for a mnemonic phrase. Any pop-up telling you to "import wallet mnemonic phrase to verify your identity" is definitely fake.
Don’t install any plugin or external tool that claims it can "auto-trade" or "help you farm newbie rewards". Those tools want your account permissions.
Don’t log into your trading account on public Wi‑Fi.
At which step does the installation get stuck? Take a screenshot and post it in the comments section—I’ll see it and reply.