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What are Recovery Contacts and how do they help keep my Bitkey safe?

Updated
Bitkey is designed to protect your wallet while still giving you a way to recover if something goes wrong.
 
When you set up your Bitkey wallet, an encrypted copy of your App Key is saved to your cloud account. That backup is encrypted using your Bitkey hardware device, which means that even if someone gained access to your cloud storage, they still could not use the backup without your hardware device.
 
That’s why recovering from a lost phone is simple. You reinstall the Bitkey app, sign in to your cloud account, and use your Bitkey hardware device to decrypt the backup and restore your wallet.
 
But what happens if you lose both your phone and your Bitkey hardware device? 
 
You still have the encrypted backup in your cloud account — but without your hardware device, you can no longer decrypt it yourself. 
 
That’s where Recovery Contacts come in.

A Recovery Contact is someone you know and trust who can help you decrypt your encrypted App Key backup without ever accessing your wallet, your keys, or your funds.

With their help, you can restore access to your wallet and continue recovery — all without relying on a company, a seed phrase, or exposing sensitive information.

🔷 Recovery Contacts cannot access your wallet, keys, or funds. They can only assist with a recovery that you initiate and approve.

How Recovery Contacts work

Recovery Contacts help you decrypt your encrypted App Key backup without ever accessing your wallet, keys, or funds.

When you enroll a Recovery Contact, Bitkey establishes a secure recovery process that allows them to help you regain access to your wallet if you’re unable to decrypt your App Key backup yourself.

Your Recovery Contact never sees your wallet, your App Key, or the encrypted backup itself. Instead, they hold a tool that can help decrypt the backup during a recovery that you initiate and approve.

They’re not recovering your wallet for you — they’re simply providing a missing piece that only you can use to continue recovery.

When can a Recovery Contact help?

Recovery Contacts are only used in one situation:

  • You lose both your phone and your Bitkey hardware device  
  • You still have access to your encrypted App Key backup in the cloud  

In that situation, you can no longer decrypt the backup yourself because your Bitkey hardware device is missing.

Your Recovery Contact can provide the tool needed to help decrypt the backup so you can continue the recovery process and regain access to your wallet.

How the process works

When you set up a Recovery Contact:
  1. You invite someone you know and trust through the Bitkey app
  2. They accept the invitation and install the app, if they haven't already
  3. Once you reopen your Bitkey app, they become activated
    ⚠️ Important: A Recovery Contact must be enrolled and activated before they can assist with recovery
Behind the scenes:
  • Your encrypted App Key backup remains stored in your cloud account
  • Your Recovery Contact receives the tool needed to help decrypt the backup later if recovery is needed
  • They never see your App Key, your backup, or your wallet

If you ever need to use a Recovery Contact

  1. After you’ve replaced your lost phone and Bitkey hardware device, install Bitkey on your new phone and begin the process to restore your wallet.
  2. When your cloud backup is found, you’ll be asked to use your Bitkey hardware device to decrypt the backup and restore your wallet. Instead, select I’ve lost my Bitkey device.
  3. Follow the prompts to continue recovery using a Recovery Contact.
  4. Contact your Recovery Contact, ideally over video or live chat.
  5. Share the recovery code shown in the Bitkey app.
  6. Your Recovery Contact enters the code into their Bitkey app to verify it’s really you. Once verified, Bitkey uses the tool stored by your Recovery Contact to help decrypt your App Key backup.
  7. You can then restore your App Key from the cloud backup and continue hardware recovery with your new Bitkey hardware device.

Additional things to know

  • You can add up to three Recovery Contacts, but only one is needed to help during recovery
  • You can remove a Recovery Contact at any time
  • Bitkey will notify you if a Recovery Contact removes themselves
  • Your Recovery Contact can never access your wallet or your keys — They’re only there to assist at your request

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