Your Status recovery phrase (also known as a seed phrase or backup phrase) consists of 12 words that can be used to regenerate your private key. If you lose your private key or it is compromised, you lose access to your Status profile and funds forever. For this reason, you must always back up your recovery phrase and keep it safe.
For security reasons, your recovery phrase is permanently removed from your device once you confirm that you have saved it. You won't be able to view your recovery phrase in the Status app after that (the option is greyed out).
- 1From the tab bar, tapMessages.
- 2Tap your profile picture and then go toPrivacy and security.
- 3On theBack up recovery phrasescreen, make sure you have everything ready to write down the recovery phrase. Then, check the verification boxes.
- 4TapSee my recovery phrase.
- 1
- 2TapI wrote it on a paper.
- 3The Status app asks you to type two randomly chosen words from your recovery phrase. Type the words, check theI understand this is the only time I can see my recovery phrase in the appbox and tapDone.
- 4Once you write down your recovery phrase, tapYes.
- 5TapOK, great.
If you lose your recovery phrase, or someone else gets access to it, you lose access to your Status profile and funds in the Status Wallet.
Here are some tips on how to keep your recovery phrase secure:
- Keep it safe – Use a pen-and-paper backup, writing down your recovery phrase on a piece of paper and saving this paper in a locked safe, at the very least. This is the most common backup method, but it's not the most secure one. Consider using a hardware wallet in addition to your pen-and-paper backup.
- Avoid digital copies – Don't take a screenshot of your recovery phrase and don't save your recovery phrase on your phone, computer or any online services.
- Never share – Don't share the recovery phrase with anyone and be careful about who has access to it.
- Use a hardware wallet – Hardware wallets add an extra layer of security to your recovery phrase. The Keycard hardware wallet integrates with the Status app and is compatible with all major cryptocurrencies.
- Use multiple backups – You can combine different backup methods, such as a pen-and-paper backup and a hardware wallet. In addition, you can improve the security of your pen-and-paper backup by dividing up your recovery phrase words and storing them in different places.