Summary
Like a vault protects physical assets, the Bitcoin.com Wallet app protects digital assets - and in both cases, you need the right access key.
Table of contents
What does it mean to back up my wallet?
Backing up your wallet means creating a digital key that allows you to access your Wallet in the event you lose or damage your device. Importantly, this digital key is stored outside of your device.
Why should I backup my wallet?
When you first install the Bitcoin.com Wallet app on your mobile device, you have the option of setting up biometrics or a PIN. This acts as the key to your wallet, but what happens if you lose or break your device? If you haven't backed up your Wallet, your digital assets will be lost forever.
Can't I just ask Bitcoin.com to restore my wallet?
In a word, no.
Since the Bitcoin.com Wallet is 'non-custodial,' no third party (neither Bitcoin.com, nor anyone else) holds the key. It's just you. This is important for making your Wallet 'permissionless,' meaning you never have to ask for permission to use your digital assets (unlike with custodial services like banks and credit cards).
However, with great power, comes great responsibility: if you lose your key, you lose access to your digital assets — forever!
How do I use my backup?
If you lose or damage your phone, just reinstall the Bitcoin.com Wallet app, then enter your backup password or passphrase(s) You'll again have access to the digital assets in your Wallet.
I'm ready to backup. What should I do?
The Bitcoin.com Wallet app provides you with two ways to backup your wallet. You can use either or both.
Cloud Backup Service
Here, you create a single custom password that decrypts a file stored in your Google Drive or Apple iCloud. If you lose access to your device, you can reinstall the Wallet app on a new device, enter your password, and you'll again have access to all of your ETH wallets (as well as all your other wallets in the app). Not only that, whenever you add more wallets within your Bitcoin.com Wallet, your backup file will automatically sync. This means you never have to worry about creating a new backup for each new wallet you create!
Note: To use the Cloud Backup Service, you'll first need to login to either Google Drive or Apple iCloud through the Wallet app.
Follow these steps to back up your wallets with our cloud service:
From the home screen, tap on the Settings icon <INSERT ICON> in the bottom-right corner
Select "Security Center" <INSERT ICON>
If you haven't already, you'll need to sign in with Apple or Google
Create a master password*
*You'll use this password to recover your Wallet if you lose or damage your phone. It's non-recoverable, so you should write it down and store the paper somewhere safe.
Note: Your master password must be at least 8 characters long and include upper and lowercase alphanumeric characters, and at least one number
Tap the "Create Recovery File and Sync" button.
Your entire Bitcoin.com Wallet is now backed up!
Please see an instructional video here:
Manual Backups
For manual backups, you'll be assigned a random set of 12 words (a 'passphrase') for each of the Ethereum wallets within your Bitcoin.com Wallet. Then, when you reinstall the app, you'll need to enter each wallet's 12-word passphrase to gain to access each wallet.
*Actually, your Bitcoin.com Wallet consists of multiple wallets, one for each of the blockchains we support. This means you have a BTC wallet, a BCH wallet, and an ETH wallet. Further, within your ETH wallet, for example, you may have several digital assets that live on the Ethereum blockchain, like ETH, USDT, UNI and so on. When you backup your ETH wallet, you're backing up access to all the digital assets stored in that wallet.
Follow these steps to back up your ETH wallet(s) manually:
From the home screen, tap on the Settings icon in the bottom-right corner <INSERT ICON>
Select "Security Center" <INSERT ICON>
Go to "Manual backup" <INSERT ICON>
Choose the wallet you'd like to backup. Eg. Tap on "My ETH wallet"
Write down your 12-word passphrase and keep it someplace safe
Please see an instructional video here: