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What happens if I delete or reinstall the Bitkey app?

⚠️ Important: Before deleting the Bitkey app, make sure your cloud backup is healthy.

  • If you're a wallet owner, this ensures you'll be able to recover your wallet later.
  • If you're a Recovery Contact, this ensures you'll still be able to help someone recover their wallet if they need you.

👉 See What is Cloud Health Check and what does it monitor?

For more details on what happens depending on your role, read below.

 

If you're a Bitkey wallet owner

Deleting the Bitkey app will also remove your App Key — one of the two keys you control in your 2-of-3 Bitkey wallet. An encrypted copy of your App Key still exists in your cloud account, but you'll need to go through a recovery process to restore access to your wallet.
You can do that in one of two ways:
  • Cloud Recovery
    Use your Bitkey hardware device to decrypt your cloud backup and restore your App Key back to your phone
     
  • Delay + Notify
    If you don’t have access to your cloud backup, use your hardware device to create a new App Key. This method includes a 7-day security delay

If you're a Recovery Contact only

If you don’t have your own Bitkey wallet and are only using the app to serve as a Recovery Contact, deleting the app will remove your local Recovery Contact credentials, but will not delete the backup of those credentials in the cloud.

If the wallet owner needs your help after you’ve deleted the app and you’re unable to access that cloud backup, you won’t be able to act as their Recovery Contact when needed.

If you delete the app and lose your cloud backup, the wallet owner will need to re-invite you to become their Recovery Contact again. This must be done before the wallet owner needs your help with recovery for it to be effective.

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