Storing money on Smartphone is far more secure than desktop or laptop

[samuel999]

I think iPhones are safer than desktop and Android less safe, majority of comments here are about Androids, with iOS you are pretty good secured. If u want to access to my phone u have to cut off my finger to even access my phone not to mention passcode for spending my btc, so until you have spend the time to even access my phone, i have transferred my funds somewhere else.

First of all, fingerprint sensors are easily fooled. Secondly, they don't even need your fingerprint. They can just enter the backup password to access your phone. Same goes for androids. And getting the passcode for your wallet might be different, but it will be the same difficulty for both android and iphones. Even so, you could still end up downloading a virus to either type of phone since they are both vulnerable, and that could steal your Bitcoin too.

[Betwrong]

The thing is that phones can be lost, robbed, broken more frequently than a Desktop. It is more a safety thing than a security thing I think.

Exactly this. No matter how safe you coins on your Smartphone are if you just lose your smartphone. Same goes for laptops btw. That's why I prefer a trusted online wallet.

[samuel999]

The thing is that phones can be lost, robbed, broken more frequently than a Desktop. It is more a safety thing than a security thing I think.

Exactly this. No matter how safe you coins on your Smartphone are if you just lose your smartphone. Same goes for laptops btw. That's why I prefer a trusted online wallet.

That is so much less secure than either of the two you just mentioned. The most secure is to use a hardware wallet. Having the wallet on a desktop is still very secure, much more so than on a phone and much much more so than an online wallet.

[bearex]

But you have to also have a pass/fingerprint - code on your phone, because if it is stolen or lost, the security wont matter. Other than that, it is true that there are less viruses for phones, especially iOS phones.

[coinpr0n]

Of course a mobile wallet developers would say it's most secure on a phone. But I think that's totally wrong. It may be more convenient but by default it is not more secure - as others said it comes with a whole new layer of insecurity that is carrying it physically. Using best practices it could maybe be considered just as secure on phone or desktop but to assume best practices is wrong.

[BTCBinary]

Yes, I guess you can say that. Today it is still more secure to store digital currency in your smartphone. But in a near future smartphones will be the main target of hacker attacks to steal all sort of of precious information. That day, not even 2FA will save you!

[Furio]

This is very misguided, first of all, WHAT smarthphone, android is far less secure than ios. Windows hoever, you'll know for sure that you lose your coins...

[BitcoinNewsMagazine]

There is no such thing as a secure smartphone. You should never keep more bitcoin on your phone than you are prepared to lose. The only exception would be to use Mycelium on an Android phone that supports USB Host (not all do) and use a Trezor to sign transactions. That way your private keys never touch the phone. If your phone cannot work with Trezor just use the Trezor with your laptop and send bitcoin to your phone as needed for shopping.

[AtheistAKASaneBrain]

This is nonsense. You have way more chances of losing your phone as in physically losing it because of a mistake, than getting your Bitcoin hacked on a desktop given that you are taking some really basic security measures. Just download anything strange and don't visit strange webpages and that's all.

[AndySt]

If you visit any got websites and run unknown programs that there is no difference where to lose your money on your smartphone or laptop  

[KhalDrago]

This is nonsense. You have way more chances of losing your phone as in physically losing it because of a mistake, than getting your Bitcoin hacked on a desktop given that you are taking some really basic security measures. Just download anything strange and don't visit strange webpages and that's all.

Your phone is just like your wallet in your backpocket, so many people have a wallet with lots of cash, credit/debit cards in their wallet. Just because its easier for people to steal your wallet doesnt mean i have to suddenly leave my wallet at home and only buy things from home, thats doesnt make sense at all. Just like people taking their wallet with them they can do the same with their phone. Not to mention a phone is much more secured than a wallet. The future is mobile payments anyway.

[franky1]

alot of you are talking about data security of the apps and less ability to receive trojans on a iphone..

but putting the app/OS security to one side.. alot of you are forgetting one important thing..

most phone apps are just glorified browsers which contain no privkey or tx signing within the phone. as the privkeys are located on a server belonging to the app's creators..
and i think that not have sole control of the privkey is the main reason to only store 'pocket money amounts' on an address.

[Digit-0]

I don't agree with the sentence "Storing money on Smartphone is far more secure than desktop or laptop" just because 1 reason, let forgotten your smarthphone anywhere or stole it, is by far more easy than a laptop/desktop.

Is by far less secure?, no, but as i said is more easy stolen your money from smartphones.

[USB-S]

I don't agree with the sentence "Storing money on Smartphone is far more secure than desktop or laptop" just because 1 reason, let forgotten your smarthphone anywhere or stole it, is by far more easy than a laptop/desktop.

Is by far less secure?, no, but as i said is more easy stolen your money from smartphones.

This

Apple and android have zero-day exploits available to few people as well. Who knows what could be done with these exploits.

[maokoto]

The thing is that phones can be lost, robbed, broken more frequently than a Desktop. It is more a safety thing than a security thing I think.

I agree with that. In fact, my old iphone 4 stopped charging some days ago. There I had two factor authentication for some accounts with bitcoin online. Fortunately, I got to change the authentication before the phone died. I would have likely lost access to the coins if I had not realized about the phone not charging.

Not very secure.

[fast2fix]

i feel more secure on linux os (installed only for bitcoin transactions), than any other smartphone os like ios or android.

[DarkHyudrA]

Android is far from secure.
And iOS is secure only because it avoids you to installing unwanted apps, since anything outside App Store iOS says "no".

[ShrykeZ]

The thing is that phones can be lost, robbed, broken more frequently than a Desktop. It is more a safety thing than a security thing I think.

I agree with that. In fact, my old iphone 4 stopped charging some days ago. There I had two factor authentication for some accounts with bitcoin online. Fortunately, I got to change the authentication before the phone died. I would have likely lost access to the coins if I had not realized about the phone not charging.

Not very secure.

Lucky that you managed to spot the charging issue, although i'm sure you could of just repaired the charging module if need be. Also would there not be anything you can store as a backup for those online Bitcoin services and save it elsewhere?

[mirana12345]

Android is far from secure.
And iOS is secure only because it avoids you to installing unwanted apps, since anything outside App Store iOS says "no".

So to put it short; you are safe from third party apps because you can't install them.. son't know if it's more funny or sad..
I would never store anything on my phone other than dust money, i don't think it has any notable security, and it can also be stolen, unlike desktop, which is far more unlikely.
Just run linux on a desktop and u will be 99% more safe than any windows machine, no need to set up mobile wallet on ur phone.

btw when ur phone gets stolen, there goes your 2FA as well..

[shorena]

But you have to also have a pass/fingerprint - code on your phone, because if it is stolen or lost, the security wont matter. Other than that, it is true that there are less viruses for phones, especially iOS phones.

You leave your fingerprints everywhere[1].

The overal idea that some device is more secure than another is nonsense. It all depends on what you want to defend against. If you do not define the attack you cant claim one is better than the other. E.g. a smartphone would usually not stand against a brute force attack, because hardly anyone[2] has a long pin. While its common or easy to have a lengthy 20+ symbol password on a laptop or desktop computer. A smartphone is more prone to shoulder surfing which is hardly an issue with a private desktop, but might be for a laptop used in public.

A desktop can be more vulnerable to viruses and malware, but this greatly depends on user behaviour. Keeping your system up to date and the same logic as with iOS applies. 0 days are expensive for all systems.

Android is far from secure.
And iOS is secure only because it avoids you to installing unwanted apps, since anything outside App Store iOS says "no".

So to put it short; you are safe from third party apps because you can't install them..
-snip-

To add to this, rooting and jail breaking is common among many because they want to install different (stolen) software from possible unsecure sources. This is not a feature that keeps a system safe, its just a feature that keeps a system safe if the user does not go against it. In the end security is an user feature, not a system feature. Always, no matter which OS or device. Well unless you special purpose hardware.


[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM8b8d8kSNQ
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvG8prWynKM