Before you begin:
- If you are recovering from only a lost or replaced phone, see How do I access my Bitkey wallet using my new phone?
- If you are recovering from only a lost or replaced Bitkey hardware device, see How do I recover from losing / replacing my Bitkey hardware device once I have my new one?
Recovering your Bitkey wallet when you’ve lost both your phone and hardware device is a two-step process:
- First, you’ll need to restore your App Key using a Recovery Contact. You must have your new phone in hand and be signed into the cloud account where your backup was stored to begin this step.
- Once your App Key has been restored and you have your new Bitkey hardware device, you’ll begin the Delay + Notify process to replace the Hardware Key associated with your Bitkey wallet.
⚠️ Important: If you have not enrolled and activated a Recovery Contact prior to losing both your phone (with the Bitkey app installed) and your Bitkey hardware device, the only way to restore your wallet is to find one of those lost devices first and use it to recover the other.
Without either a Recovery Contact and access to your cloud account, your phone with the Bitkey app, or the Bitkey hardware device associated with your account, there is no way to recover lost access.
Without either a Recovery Contact and access to your cloud account, your phone with the Bitkey app, or the Bitkey hardware device associated with your account, there is no way to recover lost access.
Restore your App Key using a Recovery Contact
If you haven’t already, install the Bitkey app on your new mobile phone.
- Open the Bitkey app and select More Options
- Tap
Restore your wallet
- Bitkey will check for your cloud backup. Make sure you're signed in to the same cloud account (Google Drive or iCloud) you most recently used with Bitkey.
Note for Android users: if you're not signed in to a cloud account, you'll be prompted to do so. - If your cloud backup is found and you've previously set up a Recovery Contact, you'll see I lost my Bitkey device in the upper-right corner. Tap it to begin App Key recovery using your Recovery Contact.
- Tap Continue to view your list of Recovery Contacts.
- Under Your Recovery Contacts, tap Select next to the contact you want to help you with a recovery. A Recovery Code will appear on your screen.
Tip: We strongly recommend contacting your Recovery Contact via phone or video call to explain that you need their help. - Ask your Recovery Contact to open the Bitkey app and go to:
Settings >
Recovery Contacts > [Your name] > Help with Recovery
- Provide them with the Recovery Code shown on your screen. Once they enter the code successfully, you’ll receive a notification and see Verified next to their name. Tap Continue to proceed.
If you have your new Bitkey hardware device, select Yes to begin replacing your device using Delay + Notify.
If you don’t yet have a replacement device, select No. You’ll return to the Home screen and be able to view your wallet balance. When you have your new hardware device, follow the steps in How do I recover from losing / replacing my Bitkey hardware device once I have my new one?
Replace your Bitkey hardware using Delay + Notify
If you’ve restored your lost App Key using a Recovery Contact and selected Yes when asked if you have your new Bitkey hardware device, see How do I recover from losing / replacing my Bitkey hardware device once I have my new one? to begin the Delay + Notify process.
Note: If you were able to find your original Bitkey hardware device, go to the Home screen, tap Replace your Bitkey device, and select I’ve found my old Bitkey device.