How to safeguard my crypto in Andriod Phone

[UmerIdrees]

Well, every now and then I hear that it is unsafe to keep a wallet on a mobile phone, especially the phones that we are using for day-to-day basis as a daily driver. So what can be done to secure our funds on Unstoppable and other Android wallets?

One option i have in mind is to buy one additional cheap phones and install our wallets in that phone and keep that phone offline most of the time and make it online only when you need to send the funds. We don't need the wallet to be online for receiving funds if we know the deposit address.

Is this a secure way, or maybe we have better ways?

[Chibit01]

And long as thr phrase to the wallet can't be compromised where you back it up and the little times you login into the wallet to sign transaction you don’t get connected to other things I belive that should be safe.

[OmegaStarScream]

If you can afford buying an extra cheap phone, wouldn't it be better to just invest into a proper hardware wallet? The Trezor safe 3 costs 59$ while the Trezor safe 5 costs 129$.

But to answer your question,  everything goes down to your habits. If you're too much into the web3 space (checking new projects, looking into potential airdrops, testing new products, etc).. You're more prone to getting hacked compared to the person who just opens his wallet to send funds.

Overall I'd say:

- Ignore DMs on Telegram and discord
- Never link your wallet (again if you're into web3) to any website you don't know.
- Avoid downloading things from unknown sources.

[Frankolala]

What you said is the best to do if you are using a hot wallet. You need to make sure that the second phone Bluetooth, wifi and any other method of connection is turned off. At least, it's better than using the same phone for your daily browsing where you have your wallet on. However, it's good to buy a hardware wallet because it's more safe since it's designed to be offline and your seed phrase too stays offline. If you have a PC around the corner that you ain't using, you can use it to set up electrum cold storage wallet and generate the private keys offline.

[_act_]

On Unstoppable wallet, you can go for robbery protection which is very good, but this is only available if you go for premium subscription which many people will not advise you to do as they may see it not necessary.

But why only phone? You can get yourself a hardware wallet like Trezor if you want altcoins included. No need of getting another phone just because of a wallet when there are good hardware wallets.

[OmegaStarScream]

On Unstoppable wallet, you can go for robbery protection which is very good, but this is only available if you go for premium subscription which many people will not advise you to do as they may see it not necessary.

The duress mode you're referring to should be accessible for free (as well as the other premium features) if you download the app from F-droid by the way.

[Shadiq]

Is this a secure way, or maybe we have better ways?

When Android phones are connected to the internet, there is a risk of the phone being hacked or malware entering the phone, at this time if you store funds on your phone, then your funds are also unsafe or at risk.

But if it is offline from the beginning, the chances of it being hacked are very low, unless someone else is able to get hold of your phone. The strategy you mentioned is safe, you have to take care that the seed phrase cannot be accessed on the internet or on the Android phone in any way. It is safer to keep a hard copy of the seed phrase on paper. A more secure strategy may be to delete the wallet by saving the deposit address and seed phrase.

[_act_]

The duress mode you're referring to should be accessible for free (as well as the other premium features) if you download the app from F-droid by the way.

Thanks for this useful information. I am still able to use the protection mode on my device because I have been using it since it was free. People that have downloaded the wallet before it become a premium service are still able to use it for free. But there are other features that are no more free. I will try and download it anytime that I am free to see if the address checker will also be free.

@UmerIdrees, the protection mode may not be against hackers, it is just for people like thieves not to know the wallet that you do not want them to know. You need your knowledge of waller protection for security against hackers. If you have the money for a hardware wallet, just buy one if you have huge amount of coins to protect.

[Findingnemo]

Buy a device with clean android installed, I guess Samsung or Pixel is good option and avoid the cheap chinese models that comes with preinstalled spywares. And if you never install any apps other than the crypto wallet and connect to the internet only when you are sending the tx can be considered a good practice but I won't recommend keeping assets in a device that connects to internet, just only the change assets that you needed for day to day spends.

[Lontor]

Well, every now and then I hear that it is unsafe to keep a wallet on a mobile phone, especially the phones that we are using for day-to-day basis as a daily driver. So what can be done to secure our funds on Unstoppable and other Android wallets?

One option i have in mind is to buy one additional cheap phones and install our wallets in that phone and keep that phone offline most of the time and make it online only when you need to send the funds. We don't need the wallet to be online for receiving funds if we know the deposit address.

Is this a secure way, or maybe we have better ways?

🙂‍↔️ You are completely wrong sir.

The Android problem this days is not about keeping it offline.

If your hardware wallet has vulnerability in its very system OS that's the end, your coins aren't safe.

Android OS is the operating system, and if something can make hackers to get into your phone storage through the Android chip, no manners of offline securing can keep you safe at that point.

[Nathrixxx]

Well, every now and then I hear that it is unsafe to keep a wallet on a mobile phone, especially the phones that we are using for day-to-day basis as a daily driver. So what can be done to secure our funds on Unstoppable and other Android wallets?

The wallet you are using is not where your coins are being stored neither on your mobile phone device, bitcoin is being stored on the blockchain, the kind of wallet you use determines how you safeguard having access to your bitcoin on the blockchain or not, and this is where the choice of using a custodial wallet or non-custodial wallet comes in, how you are being able to keep safe your private keys and seed phrase also determines who get access to your bitcoin or not, very possible that you have a non-custodial wallet on your phone and you are still secured as long as you maintain privacy and some security ethics.

[Upgrade00]

One option i have in mind is to buy one additional cheap phones and install our wallets in that phone and keep that phone offline most of the time and make it online only when you need to send the funds. We don't need the wallet to be online for receiving funds if we know the deposit address.

You do not need the wallet to be online to send funds either. If you use a watch only wallet, the wallet where your seedphrase is saved will only be used to sign transactions, the watch only wallet will create the raw tx and broadcast if afferit is signed.

[DYING_S0UL]

Well, every now and then I hear that it is unsafe to keep a wallet on a mobile phone, especially the phones that we are using for day-to-day basis as a daily driver. So what can be done to secure our funds on Unstoppable and other Android wallets?

One option i have in mind is to buy one additional cheap phones and install our wallets in that phone and keep that phone offline most of the time and make it online only when you need to send the funds. We don't need the wallet to be online for receiving funds if we know the deposit address.

This is actually what I do. I have 2 devices with me right now. One has everything (but not wallet), another one has only a few apps, the most basic ones, without which the phone won't work, and then the wallet apps. The 2nd phones is always at home, I never take it outside, I never use it for day to day life. Only when it's related to sending funds, I use it. This second phone of mine is very old, so I doesn't get any security patch updates. So I have also flashed a custom rom with the latest security patch, hoping it would be better for security.

Is this a secure way, or maybe we have better ways?

unfortunately it's mobile device we are talking about. there will always be some vulnerabilities , some ways for the hackes to exploit it. so the one thing we can do is use it less, have less apps, remove the unnecessay ones and apart from sending funds always keep it offline, in short keep the usage as short as possible to avoid accidents..

[PX-Z]

our hardware wallet has vulnerability in its very system OS that's the end, your coins aren't safe.

Android OS is the operating system, and if something can make hackers to get into your phone storage through the Android chip, no manners of offline securing can keep you safe at that point.

Can you tell actual cases where an android device itself was compromised and led to a wallet being hacked? As far as i know, there aren't many confirmed cases like that. Android gets regular security patches every few months, so the risk is relatively low, unless you're still using very old versions like android 9 worst below.

In most situations, losses don't come from the system being hacked directly, but from phishing and social engineering where the most of scams and wallet hacks actually happen.

[Zaguru12]

The wallet you are using is not where your coins are being stored neither on your mobile phone device, bitcoin is being stored on the blockchain, the kind of wallet you use determines how you safeguard having access to your bitcoin on the blockchain or not, and this is where the choice of using a custodial wallet or non-custodial wallet comes in, how you are being able to keep safe your private keys and seed phrase also determines who get access to your bitcoin or not, very possible that you have a non-custodial wallet on your phone and you are still secured as long as you maintain privacy and some security ethics.

Although what you said is totally correct but not accurate because yes what your wallet holds is actually your keys or seed phrase that gives access to your bitcoin stored on the blockchain. So the choice of wallet is one thing and also the choice of the device which will house such wallet is also a very big deal of protecting your bitcoin. This is the reason why airgapped devices remains the very best and the reason why hot wallet on an online device regardless of the reputation of that wallet is not advisable for large bitcoin storage

You do not need the wallet to be online to send funds either. If you use a watch only wallet, the wallet where your seedphrase is saved will only be used to sign transactions, the watch only wallet will create the raw tx and broadcast if afferit is signed.

I think the choice of wallet is also a barrier in this situation. For example OP is emphasizing on unstoppable wallet then I think this your method wouldn’t work because unstoppable wallet does not supports cold wallet that is cannot sign an offline transaction similar to what electrum offers AFAIK. So without this ability then this method wouldn’t work

[Cricktor]

Which cheap or budget Android phones get (security) updates over longer periods of time? I don't want to generalize this but I don't perceive the budget Android phone market to be exemplary in terms of update policy and duration. (I'm no iPhone user for my private needs, btw.)

I wouldn't make much fuss about it, but it heavily depends how you use your potentially vulnerable older or budget Android device when it doesn't receive updates regularly or anymore. Some security fixes are also deployed via Play Store services.

Just don't use such devices for your everyday internet or (a)social media shit and don't install every app that screams at you to try it out. Updating or broadcasting a transaction with your mobile wallet isn't likely to infect and compromise your device, but how much internet discipline are you actually able to maintain with your wallet phone device?

I have hot wallets on my Android phone, but they only control pocket money amounts which I could afford to loose if shit happens. I don't like the idea to have serious funds controlled by a hot wallet on your daily mobile phone.

And instead of a second budget phone I would get a hardware wallet that works with your mobile phone software wallets. If you need to use your mobile phone for whatever reasons for your wallet, a much more safer solution is a watch-only software wallet on the phone and a hardware wallet as the signing device which secures the private keys way better as any mobile phone ever could.

[aylabadia05]

One option i have in mind is to buy one additional cheap phones and install our wallets in that phone and keep that phone offline most of the time and make it online only when you need to send the funds. We don't need the wallet to be online for receiving funds if we know the deposit address.

Is this a secure way, or maybe we have better ways?

A large amount of assets cannot be guaranteed to be safe if stored in a wallet installed on a mobile phone, even if it's a wallet that's highly recommended by experienced users.

The option of purchasing a phone dedicated solely to using a wallet and storing assets there is logically sound, but in my opinion, it's not a guarantee.
I've tried this option as well, but not for the long term like an offline wallet.

[TokenTikas]

Even though using a separate device like that may seem safe, to me it feels better to just get a proper wallet instead of spending money to buy another device. But above everything and keeping your security phrase safe is the most important thing. The device we use daily is mostly used for browsing and through that browsing we sometimes fall into spam. So I think it’s better not to use the device where you keep your wallets for too much browsing.

[UmerIdrees]

This is actually what I do. I have 2 devices with me right now. One has everything (but not wallet), another one has only a few apps, the most basic ones, without which the phone won't work, and then the wallet apps. The 2nd phones is always at home, I never take it outside, I never use it for day to day life. Only when it's related to sending funds, I use it. This second phone of mine is very old, so I doesn't get any security patch updates. So I have also flashed a custom rom with the latest security patch, hoping it would be better for security.

That is also what I wanted to do, but in my case, I prefer to buy a new Samsung cheapest phone like A07, but it will get security updates for the next 5 to 6 years.
In your case, since you're using a very old phone where the security patches aren't updated, isn't it risky? If not, i may also use the old phone and save some more money 

And for those suggesting for a hardware solution, Trezor doesn't ship in my country so i prefer this andriod phone solution otherwise i know that there is nothing better than a hardware wallet.

[DYING_S0UL]

This is actually what I do. I have 2 devices with me right now. One has everything (but not wallet), another one has only a few apps, the most basic ones, without which the phone won't work, and then the wallet apps. The 2nd phones is always at home, I never take it outside, I never use it for day to day life. Only when it's related to sending funds, I use it. This second phone of mine is very old, so I doesn't get any security patch updates. So I have also flashed a custom rom with the latest security patch, hoping it would be better for security.

That is also what I wanted to do, but in my case, I prefer to buy a new Samsung cheapest phone like A07, but it will get security updates for the next 5 to 6 years.
In your case, since you're using a very old phone where the security patches aren't updated, isn't it risky? If not, i may also use the old phone and save some more money 

And for those suggesting for a hardware solution, Trezor doesn't ship in my country so i prefer this andriod phone solution otherwise i know that there is nothing better than a hardware wallet.

that is also one of the possible alternative solution, yes.

but as for me, i don't think you have read it properly, but i have said i can flash security patch if i wanted to. i am a custom ROM user. i have the power to change/modify the entire system, apps, update everything.

me neither, always wanted to use one, but couldn't due to the crypto ban here..