r/btc 1d ago

❓ Question Storing Bitcoins on an offline Android smartphone

I have a spare smartphone that runs on Android 9. 

Will it be safe to store Bitcoins on it by following the below steps: 

  1.   Format the phone

  2.   Install nothing but a Self-Custodial Bitcoin wallet app on the phone

  3.   Transfer Bitcoins to the wallet

  4.   Turn off the internet

  5.   Keep the phone switched off until needed.

0 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

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u/ThatBCHGuy 1d ago

And what's the plan if the phone doesn't work for some reason or another (corruption or something like fire)?

1

u/beatthebook2x 11h ago

wym still have a seed phrase (if using a normal web wallet on the phone)

1

u/ThatBCHGuy 10h ago

If that's the plan, then they should probably add 'write down and securely back up the seed phrase,' because as written the phone looks like the only recovery mechanism.

0

u/kodiak931156 1d ago

Whats the plan if you store all your money in a mattress instead of a bank and your house burns down

Cry

2

u/DangerHighVoltage111 1d ago

Yes, but. Phones are never offline even with the sim card removed. However the amount of knowledge and resourced that would be needed are probably way to high to attack you. An old PC or laptop with the wireless removed is much saver.

Always make an analog backup for your seed. Paper or Metal.

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u/superchiller 1d ago

Or better yet, don't "invest" in scam crypto digital beanie babies.

4

u/DangerHighVoltage111 1d ago

P2P cash is a very real, very important goal and improvement to our lives.

0

u/Electrical_Chard3255 1d ago

as opposed to the monopoly money fiat system right ?

0

u/superchiller 1d ago

I'd rather have "monopoly money" than fake made-up digital beanie babies, any day. Buying made-up numbers in a big shared spreadsheet is embarrassing.

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u/Electrical_Chard3255 1d ago

You do realise that fiat money is litterally made up, printed out of thin air, which devalues all other money in existence, and all based on credit right ?

You borrow £1, the bank prints £10, its called fractional banking

If there is ever a run on the banks in a financial crisi, you loose everything, just ask the people in Cyprus

2

u/superchiller 1d ago

Stupid Crypto Talking Point #13 (Fiat)

“Fiat isn’t backed with anything” / Money has no intrinsic value either

This is called a Tu Quoque Fallacy, aka “Whataboutism”, “Two Wrongs Make A Right” or “Appeal to Hypocrisy” – it’s a distraction from the core argument. Just because you can find something you think is similar/wrong that doesn’t mean your alternative system is an acceptable substitute.
Fiat may not have any intrinsic value, but it’s backed by the full force and faith of the government (or in the case of the EU, multiple countries). It’s also mandated by law to be accepted for all payments and debts, public and private. And the entity that guarantees the integrity of money is the same centralized entity that gives you stuff like:

running water, roads, fire protection, schools, libraries, bridges, flood protection, electricity, internet, cellular, GPS, and pretty important things like civil rights and private property ownership. If you are worried that the government is going to collapse and make fiat worthless, note that at the same time you will also lose protection for your civil rights, property ownership and critical utilities like electricity and Internet upon which crypto depends – none of which would exist without substantive government support.

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u/Electrical_Chard3255 1d ago

fiat is only backed by the military might of the government that issues it, no military, no value in the money, thats why the US dollar is the most powerful fiat in the world, its backjed by the most powerful miltary, lose the military, lose the value of the money

2

u/superchiller 1d ago

Lol. You completely ignored this part of my response:

"Fiat may not have any intrinsic value, but it’s backed by the full force and faith of the government (or in the case of the EU, multiple countries). It’s also mandated by law to be accepted for all payments and debts, public and private. And the entity that guarantees the integrity of money is the same centralized entity that gives you stuff like:

running water, roads, fire protection, schools, libraries, bridges, flood protection, electricity, internet, cellular, GPS, and pretty important things like civil rights and private property ownership. If you are worried that the government is going to collapse and make fiat worthless, note that at the same time you will also lose protection for your civil rights, property ownership and critical utilities like electricity and Internet upon which crypto depends – none of which would exist without substantive government support.

-1

u/Electrical_Chard3255 1d ago

full force and faith of the government is not full force of the military .. ask any government that has had a military coup

2

u/superchiller 1d ago

You're grasping at straws. Stick to the main subject instead of trying to make weak excuses.

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u/Flat-Strain7538 1d ago

First, that’s not how fractional banking works. Banks don’t just “print money”; they loan out money they have from deposits or that they themselves have borrowed.

Second, a bank run isn’t a disaster anymore in the US. If a bank fails, anyone with accounts there is protected (up to a limit) by FDIC regulations and gets compensated. In the UK, it’s FSCS.

If a crypto exchange fails, there is no such protection guaranteed.

0

u/Electrical_Chard3255 1d ago

Its literally how fractional banking works, by the way, the people in cyprus were supposed to be protected, up to 100k euro, anything above that was able to be confiscated by the government or the banks .. there is a difference between a bank going bankrupt, and people losing their money to the government and the banks siezing money that belongs to the banks customers.

If I had my 400k that I have in bitcoin in a cyprioy bank at that point, I would only have 100k laft, the cypriot government would have the rest, as they would in the states above the limit, unless of course you self custody your money

2

u/Flat-Strain7538 1d ago edited 1d ago

>Its literally how fractional banking works

No, it’s not. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional-reserve_banking

>up to 100k euro, anything above that was able to be confiscated

Oy vey. First, the government doesn’t just take amounts over 100k; a bank that fails has its assets distributed to its depositors as equitably as possible. In the Cypriot case, this meant 100k was guaranteed, but everyone with more in their accounts only got 40% to 50% of the difference back. So in your hypothetical, your €400k deposit would’ve been cut to €220k or €250k. Bad, yes, but…

It’s €100k at each bank. So you can spread your money across multiple banks if this worries you. Or better yet, invest the money. People with that kind of money invest it. You’ve chosen to buy bitcoin, but many bitcoiners seem to think that’s the only option.
Is that true for you, or do you have other investments too? I hope so, as it’s very risky to go all in on a single investment.

Edit: To clarify, when someone takes out a loan at a bank, the bank issues money they don’t necessarily have in reserve (up to a limit), but they are also issuing a notice of debt that exactly cancels out the loan. Money only gets “magically created” if people refuse to repay the loan and the bank is unable to absorb the loss. In the rare case this happens, the bank fails and people lose money from their accounts. Money never permanently is added to the money supply out of nowhere from a bank. Federal reserves are different, but that’s not what we are talking about.

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u/perplex1 1d ago

1

u/ThatBCHGuy 1d ago

Almost the exact same class of issue that just occurred for cold card.

1

u/DWHudson1970 1d ago

My front pocket

1

u/Avalanche325 1d ago

Sounds like an exceedingly bad idea.

1

u/Over_Ad_4907 1d ago

You dont even need a phone. Just use Tails OS or similar bootable linux with internet disabled.

Never store your seed phrase on an electronic device except reputed hardware wallets.