Does it make sense to have mobile wallet + desktop wallet from same brand?

[joniboini]

It's great that you're considering switching to a new wallet that better meets your needs. There are indeed several cryptocurrency wallets available that offer secure synchronization between desktop and mobile apps. These wallets often use a seed phrase (also known as a recovery phrase or mnemonic phrase) to securely generate private keys and addresses across different devices.

I guess you're referring to hot wallets like web wallets (e.g. Blockchain.com) that need an e-mail and password to log in. If you do use a wallet like that, consider moving to other wallets asap since they are less secure. You also need to depend on another party to make sure you can still access your wallet if you never export your seeds before.

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[LoyceV]

You're asking different things. In the title, you're asking if it's okay to install the same wallet on different devices. I'd say that's fine (as long as the wallet itself can be trusted).

Then, you're asking this:

Now I want to ask whether there are Wallets that are secure, synchable in between the desktop app and mobile app together?

I don't think this exists. The transactions (in a HD wallet) will of course be synced through the blockchain, but the wallet itself (including the address labels) won't get synchronized.

For example if I am going to set up the wallet on desktop then I will have to enter the Private key there. In similar ways when I will set the wallet on my phone then also I will have to set the private key there.

That will work.

Is it going to be issue to insert my private keys on two different devices?

Well, "it depends": you asked for "wallets that are secure", but you should also make sure the OS is secure. If you use the same wallet on different devices, you need to make sure they're all secure.
Will there be an issue? Only if your phone gets compromised. Or your desktop. And that's the issue: you don't know that until it's too late, but by doing so, you're doubling the risk. And that's why I wouldn't do it.

I think you need to take a step back: what are you trying to accomplish? If you own a small amount in Bitcoin that you can afford to lose, you can just do what you're suggesting. It will be very convenient and you know (and accept) the risk.
But, and I assume that applies to most people: if you want to get an increasingly larger amount of Bitcoin, it's better to create different wallets for different purposes (and that's what I do). Sometimes I use the same wallet brand, sometimes I use the same seed, sometimes it's watch-only, and some are different wallets. That doesn't mean they're all loaded, but that's not really the point.

And then there's privacy. If you have $5 trillion in your mobile wallet, your local barista may be tempted to hit you on the head. And if you buy a jet, you may not want the seller to know you bought 2 jets from his competitor the other day.
Separate wallets for different purposes are great for privacy!

[Oshosondy]

Well, "it depends": you asked for "wallets that are secure", but you should also make sure the OS is secure. If you use the same wallet on different devices, you need to make sure they're all secure.
Will there be an issue? Only if your phone gets compromised. Or your desktop. And that's the issue: you don't know that until it's too late, but by doing so, you're doubling the risk. And that's why I wouldn't do it.

I have both phone and laptop. There was a time I have my seed phrase on Electrum on both my phone and laptop and I used them both for signature campaigns payment. This gives convenience.

I have unstoppable wallet for altcoins. Electrum and Unstoppable wallet with passphrase.

I have my laptop at home. I monitor my trading position at work or while not at home. I may need to transfer collateral or not. Example, I have $100 to risk on a centralized exchange, I opened 10x with $100. The remaining $900 will be on my Electrum wallet. If I am not at home, I am with my phone. If I am getting half close to liquidation, I send coins to my exchange account for my position not to get liquidated. I want to have the wallet only on desktop but my trading strategies can not make that work.

My campaign earning, I moved it immediately I see it.

There are some good reasons to have wallet on both phone and laptop, but we should try as much as possible to avoid malware and online attacks and to leave only little amount of money on online wallets. Because I have the wallet on both devices, it does not still mean I do not have cold wallets.

[Faisal2202]

You don't buy airgapped 'devices', you create them yourself, by airgapped we mean a wallet that is totally disconnected f.......................

I understand your concerns here buy DIY are not advice able to newbies and air gapped wallet are bought able so why hesitate to make them at home. But still i got your point and thanks for the clarification for the OP here. I do know what airgapped wallet is and still there are many options to buy airgapped wallets but i think if you are not newbie then the best practice is to make one at home and if you are not newbie then it's OK.

It might be what you mean here is the hardware wallet, I never heard of someone selling an air-gapped wallet.

Air gapped wallets can be bought bro.

[Oshosondy]

Air gapped wallets can be bought bro.

No.

If you have an old personal computer, you format it and reinstall the operating system. You remove the WiFi card and the Bluetooth. You have made it airgapped already.

Hardware wallet is different entirely. You can buy a hardware wallet but you can not buy an airgapped wallet, you will make it by yourself.

[pooya87]

If you have an old personal computer, you format it and reinstall the operating system. You remove the WiFi card and the Bluetooth. You have made it airgapped already.

Keep in mind that having an entirely separate computer is not the only way to create an airgapped wallet. You can either use live Linux OS where you install and run the wallet each time recovering your wallet using the seed phrase you have written on a piece of paper; or you can just install the Linux OS on a bootable removable media like a USB disk to have persistence and store the wallet between restarts.
This old topic explains the second type for example: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=853288.0

[Faisal2202]

If you have an old personal computer, you format it and reinstall the operating system. You remove the WiFi card and the Bluetooth. You have made it airgapped already.

Hardware wallet is different entirely. You can buy a hardware wallet but you can not buy an airgapped wallet, you will make it by yourself.

Are you saying we can not buy air gapped wallets or are you saying the best practice is not to buy one and make them at home by yourself? Because there are many Air gapped wallet that we can buy online just like this articles contains some.

The Best Air-Gapped Wallets

If you are saying that we can not buy an airgapped wallet then what are these wallet. Sorry if i am asking childish question just to clear more i am still learning and hope to get some good replies thanks.

[Z-tight]

If you are saying that we can not buy an airgapped wallet then what are these wallet.

Those are hardware wallets that are airgapped, and you have to purchase them like every other hardware wallet, take note that it isn't all hardware wallets that are airgapped, many are not. You can find the list of airgapped hardware wallets here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5361456.0

It is common practice that when talking about airgapped wallets we mean wallets that you create yourself on a completely airgapped device that is disconnected from the internet and will never be connected to one. Though it is difficult for newbies to create their own airgapped wallet and use it in a safe enviroment, so for newbies who cannot do this, it is better they buy a hardware wallet. Read to see how to create an airgapped wallet on Electrum: https://electrum.readthedocs.io/en/latest/coldstorage.html

[virasog]

For example if I am going to set up the wallet on desktop then I will have to enter the Private key there. In similar ways when I will set the wallet on my phone then also I will have to set the private key there.

Is it going to be issue to insert my private keys on two different devices?

For sure, you are doing it because you want to spend the money while at your computer and also when you are on the go with mobile with you only. In that case, it is ok to have your wallet login through private keys on both devices. But keep in mind that you do not store a lot of money (or all of it) on the hot storage and also you need to safeguard your devices from malwares etc.

Air gapped wallets can be bought bro.

No.

If you have an old personal computer, you format it and reinstall the operating system. You remove the WiFi card and the Bluetooth. You have made it airgapped already.

Hardware wallet is different entirely. You can buy a hardware wallet but you can not buy an airgapped wallet, you will make it by yourself.

How about using this software https://airgap.it/ for making your Android device as a cold storage? I have heard much about it but haven't used it.  Is there any loop holes here or using a personal computer without Wifi is a better option?

[LoyceV]

How about using this software https://airgap.it/ for making your Android device as a cold storage? I have heard much about it but haven't used it.  Is there any loop holes here

I wouldn't use unknown software for finances. And I wouldn't trust them to do what they say they do. You know the drill: Verify, don't trust.

or using a personal computer without Wifi is a better option?

Of course it is. At least this way you know what you're installing, and if you take out the Wifi card, you know for sure it can't connect to the internet.

[libert19]

How about using this software https://airgap.it/ for making your Android device as a cold storage? I have heard much about it but haven't used it.  Is there any loop holes here

I wouldn't use unknown software for finances. And I wouldn't trust them to do what they say they do.

AirgapIt consists of two parts — airgap vault and airgap wallet. Let's put wallet aside since it'll be connected to Internet. But when the vault never connects to the Internet, where is potential to get comprised?

You know the drill: Verify, don't trust.

If it helps, It's open source [1].

or using a personal computer without Wifi is a better option?

Of course it is. At least this way you know what you're installing, and if you take out the Wifi card, you know for sure it can't connect to the internet.

Well, similarly take out the sim card, turn off wi-fi, turn on airplane mode?


[1] https://github.com/airgap-it

[o_e_l_e_o]

Well, similarly take out the sim card, turn off wi-fi, turn on airplane mode?

I am of the opinion that modern smartphones can never be reliably airgapped. You are taking a device whose sole purpose is to communicate in as many ways as possible and trying to stop every single one of those processes. A simple software switch - turn off WiFi, turn off Bluetooth, turn off NFC, turn on airplane mode, etc. - will never be as reliable as a proper hardware airgap which you can achieve on a laptop or computer by physically removing the modules in question. And we also know the NSA are still able to track phones with location turned off and airplane mode turned on, so they must still be transmitting some data. Which leads to the point - how do you verify your phone is not still transmitting information? How can the average person verify that the WiFi really is off, that the location data really is off, and so on? You can't.

And that's all without touching on the fact that the physical security of a phone is inferior to the physical security of a proper hardware wallet.

If you want a pocket size airgapped device, then buy an open source airgapped hardware wallet such as a Passport. A phone is a very poor alternative.

[taufik123]

-snip-
or you can just install the Linux OS on a bootable removable media like a USB disk to have persistence and store the wallet between restarts.
This old topic explains the second type for example: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=853288.0

This is what I plan to try.
creating a Bootable Linux OS on a USB Flashdisk with Elecrum Wallet inside.

The goal is to make a portable hardware wallet from a USB Flashdisk, with good enough security and of course cheaper.
Only used to do a few main transactions and include protection when you want to open the Bootable Flashdisk.

The Linux distro that is suitable for Electrum and has been integrated is Tail OS.
It also uses TOR servers, so using the electrum wallet on Tail OS we get more privacy than others,

but on the other hand, because TOR uses a lot of unknown server circuits, it will certainly be dangerous if we use the default electrum server.
For that, we need to reset the Electrum server in Tail OS.

[blue Snow]

The goal is to make a portable hardware wallet from a USB Flashdisk, with good enough security and of course cheaper.
Only used to do a few main transactions and include protection when you want to open the Bootable Flashdisk.

The Linux distro that is suitable for Electrum and has been integrated is Tail OS.
It also uses TOR servers, so using the electrum wallet on Tail OS we get more privacy than others,

but on the other hand, because TOR uses a lot of unknown server circuits, it will certainly be dangerous if we use the default electrum server.
For that, we need to reset the Electrum server in Tail OS.

True, but because many people do not know how to use a server, they can use it only as a sign.
I used it, and I don't care about that, I use it that way just to protect my private key. To Push and broadcast raw transactions, I used third-party sites which can be found outside, like bestchange, blockcypher, blockchair, and etc.

[ranochigo]

This is what I plan to try.
creating a Bootable Linux OS on a USB Flashdisk with Elecrum Wallet inside.

The goal is to make a portable hardware wallet from a USB Flashdisk, with good enough security and of course cheaper.
Only used to do a few main transactions and include protection when you want to open the Bootable Flashdisk.

The Linux distro that is suitable for Electrum and has been integrated is Tail OS.
It also uses TOR servers, so using the electrum wallet on Tail OS we get more privacy than others,

but on the other hand, because TOR uses a lot of unknown server circuits, it will certainly be dangerous if we use the default electrum server.
For that, we need to reset the Electrum server in Tail OS.

Electrum connects to multiple nodes to determine the block headers but fetches data from only one server.

MITM is still difficult in this case; connections are secured through SSL with the certificates. This makes MITM difficult unless you're intentionally choosing one that doesn't have SSL.

Routing doesn't impact security, especially so for onion servers.

[LoyceV]

creating a Bootable Linux OS on a USB Flashdisk with Elecrum Wallet inside.

The goal is to make a portable hardware wallet from a USB Flashdisk, with good enough security and of course cheaper.
~
The Linux distro that is suitable for Electrum and has been integrated is Tail OS.

You should realize this is not a hardware wallet, and it's not cold storage either. If you enter your seed phrase on an unknown computer running from your own USB stick, a hardware key logger can still steal it. It's still a hot wallet, and therefore I'd always assume malware can get to it.
It's good to keep this in mind, but it will probably just work without problems.

but on the other hand, because TOR uses a lot of unknown server circuits, it will certainly be dangerous if we use the default electrum server.

I don't see how this is relevant. The Tor servers you use aren't related to the Electrum server you use. And Electrum doesn't have "a default server".

[o_e_l_e_o]

The goal is to make a portable hardware wallet from a USB Flashdisk, with good enough security and of course cheaper.

Yeah, as Loyce says, this is not a hardware wallet. This is a software wallet which may or may not be airgapped depending on how you use it. And if the USB drive isn't fully encrypted, then it's really only secure as storing your seed phrase in plain text electronically, which is not safe at all.

The Linux distro that is suitable for Electrum and has been integrated is Tail OS.

Any good Linux distro will work. Bear in mind that the version of Electrum which is prebundled with Tails is quite old - 4.0.2 which was released 3+ years ago. If you want to use the most recent version, you'll need to use the download (and verify) the relevant appimage as described here: https://electrum.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tails.html

And if you are using Tails, remember to set up persistent storage.

[taufik123]

You should realize this is not a hardware wallet, and it's not cold storage either. If you enter your seed phrase on an unknown computer running from your own USB stick, a hardware key logger can still steal it. It's still a hot wallet, and therefore I'd always assume malware can get to it.
It's good to keep this in mind, but it will probably just work without problems.

Yes Sir is acceptable. I originally just wanted to try how to install Elecktrum on a flashdisk and be able to carry it anywhere.
I realize that this is still a hot wallet in USB Flashdisk hardware and security vulnerabilities are also still quite risky, such as malware that will infect from several different device users.

-snip-
Any good Linux distro will work. Bare in mind that the version of Electrum which is prebundled with Tails is quite old - 4.0.2 which was released 3+ years ago. If you want to use the most recent version, you'll need to use the download (and verify) the relevant appimage as described here: https://electrum.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tails.html

And if you are using Tails, remember to set up persistent storage.

Tail OS only supports the old version of Electrum 4.0.2 and it needs to be upgraded to the latest version by downloading from the official Electrum website.
and Persistent storage is one of the features provided by Tail OS to be used as secure storage of user data and personal settings between usage sessions.

Persistent storage on Tails OS is encrypted by default using LUKS (Linux Unified Key Setup) or Veracrypt.

[Pmalek]

I don't see many benefits in what you are trying to do. It would be good to know how you are storing your most valuable or biggest stash of coins?
Are you only relying on hot wallets (mobile, desktop) or is there a hardware wallet or airgapped device somewhere in the mix?

If you have both an iOS and Android phone with you, I see no point in having the same seed imported on both wallets. 2x the risk.
If you use a desktop + phone combination, then what's your main way of sending and receiving bitcoin? Via your desktop or mobile wallet? And is it really mandatory to replicate the same seed across both devices when you can create different wallets with different seeds on each one?

You said you don't want to use your laptop that often and intent to spend the coins from your phone on the go. Perfect. So create a separate wallet on your phone and just transfer what you need to spend on the go to it.

I feel like you are trying to save on fees by importing your seed across different devices. In my opinion, it's not worth it. One wrong step on either your phone or laptop, and your coins could be gone because they share the same seed. 

[Kakmakr]

I would personally not do that....

A single hack can basically ruin you, if you have a lot of coins in the "single" wallet. I like to have the majority of my "hoard" in hardware wallets or Paper wallets for long-term storage and then only a small amount of coins on my desktop wallet and my mobile phone.

They cannot take out all my coins in a single hack, because I split the risk into cold storage and then also small amounts on the hot wallets. I am a bit over cautious, so this strategy works for me...