Problem if I don't upgrade wallet

[Little Mouse]

I have purchased a safepal hardware wallet recently and using it for a while but recently, fee weeks ago, they asked to upgrade the wallet (not sure how to do that, nor I am interested because I don’t need to update). What if I don’t upgrade the wallet? Still I can use it, it's not like a mandatory upgrare.
So, what can be wrong if I don’t upgrade the wallet if they require it? Am I risking anything?

[ranochigo]

There's no answer to your question.

It really depends on the purpose of the update; is it to fix a known bug, is it to fix a vulnerability, or is it to add new features? You have to read the changelog yourself, starting from the version that you're in to the latest version. You aren't really risking anything if it isn't done to patch a vulnerability but I would probably still advice people to just update it. There's no harm done.

[o_e_l_e_o]

You can find the changelog for Safepal firmware and software here: https://safepalsupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047721832-Changelog

The last time a firmware fixed any issues or bugs was v1.0.24 which was released on February 16th. The version that was released a few weeks ago as you state simply adds support for some altcoins.

[Pmalek]

SafePal's firmware upgrade history can be checked here. As o_e_l_e_o mentions, version 1.0.24 fixed some known vulnerabilities as they wrote in the statement. They don't go into any more details about what exactly was fixed. That particular upgrade also introduced a seed verification system, where you can check if the seed you have stored is correct or not. 

When it comes to the most recent update to SafePal S1, support was added for Theta and Polygon. It is usually recommended to stay up-to-date, especially for things related to your finances. Not sure why you don't want to do it.

[o_e_l_e_o]

It is usually recommended to stay up-to-date, especially for things related to your finances. Not sure why you don't want to do it.

Because every new update carries a risk of introducing some new bug, some new vulnerability, breaking some feature or process, and so on, even if it has been extensively tested. If the update is not going to be fixing any serious issue, and is only introducing new features you aren't going to use or support for new coins you don't care about, then there is no real reason to update immediately.

[Lucius]

I agree that it is not necessary to rush with the firmware update immediately, but it is also not very wise to avoid them indefinitely. I don't know how things are with the HW in question, but I know that there were problems with Ledger for those who skipped the firmware update to such an extent that devices with too old firmware could not be upgraded at all.

My advice is to follow the comments of users who have already installed new firmware, so if there are no serious problems I see no reason why this step should be avoided.

[hugeblack]

Unless there is a serious vulnerability that deserves an immediate update, it remains a personal matter to update the wallet or not, and it is better to update after a week or two, as all known vulnerabilities will be resolved.
Therefore, I do not see any objection to updating, and the updates are not a troublesome thing as much as they are an indication that there is a team that is working hard to add more features and correct defects, which is a good thing in general.

[dkbit98]

What if I don’t upgrade the wallet? Still I can use it, it's not like a mandatory upgrare.
So, what can be wrong if I don’t upgrade the wallet if they require it? Am I risking anything?

Safepal hardware wallet code is closed source coming from China, so you purchased a cat in a bag and you don't know what is contained in those new code updates.
You could probably use the wallet even without updates, but some critical updates may be mandatory for normal functioning of device, or you can have old firmware that have bugs.
In some of their previous firmware upgrades they added important security updates so it will be wise to stay up to date.
Check out detailed upgrade history on their website page:
https://docs.safepal.io/safepal-hardware-wallet/upgrade/upgrade-history

[Pmalek]

Safepal hardware wallet code is closed source coming from China, so you purchased a cat in a bag and you don't know what is contained in those new code updates.

To be fair, Safepal was a closed-source hardware wallet even before the new firmware upgrade. There was no way of verifying the code when the user purchased his wallet and that is still the case today. You are right when you said that the end user doesn't know what these new changes mean, but since we didn't know it in the past either, we can only hope they were made to fix bugs and introduce new features.

[Coin-Keeper]

Safepal hardware wallet code is closed source coming from China, so you purchased a cat in a bag and you don't know what is contained in those new code updates.

To be fair, Safepal was a closed-source hardware wallet even before the new firmware upgrade. There was no way of verifying the code when the user purchased his wallet and that is still the case today. You are right when you said that the end user doesn't know what these new changes mean, but since we didn't know it in the past either, we can only hope they were made to fix bugs and introduce new features.

I am one of those users that would not sleep at night if I effectively gave the China MFG a blank check for storing my coins.  There could be something in that code that could be triggered anytime they wanted to run such code.  Its not that I am saying such a code exists, its just that running a hardware wallet with my eyes closed doesn't work for me.  I would go back to the two computer software wallet approach long before I would do that!  My .02