What Happens If I Lose My Phone?
Your Crypto Isn't on Your Phoneâ
Your crypto lives on the blockchain, not on your phone. Gem Wallet stores the keys that control it, protected on your device. If your phone is lost, stolen, or broken, your funds are still on the blockchain, and you can get them back on any device with your Secret Phrase.
| Do you have your Secret Phrase? | What happens |
|---|---|
| Yes | You can restore the wallet on a new device and everything is there: balances, tokens, history, NFTs, and staking |
| No | The wallet can't be restored. Gem Wallet has no account, server copy, or reset option, so no one, including the Gem Wallet team, can recover it |
For a wallet you imported with a private key, the private key is its only backup. See What Is a Private Key?.
Step 1 - Restore the Wallet on a New Deviceâ
- Install Gem Wallet from the official app store or gemwallet.com.
- Select Import an Existing Wallet, choose Multi-Coin, and enter your Secret Phrase.
- Check that your balances and tokens appear.
See Restore Gem Wallet. If some tokens or networks are missing, turn them on again. See I Don't See My Token in Gem Wallet.
Step 2 - Decide Whether to Move Your Fundsâ
Someone who finds your phone still needs to get past your phone's lock screen and, if it's on, Gem Wallet's app lock before they can see or send anything. Whether to move your funds depends on how protected the phone was:
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Phone had a strong passcode, Gem Wallet's app lock was on, and you don't think anyone saw your passcode | Your funds are likely safe. Restore the wallet and keep watching your Activity |
| The phone was unlocked, had no passcode, or someone may know your passcode | Move your funds to a brand-new wallet as soon as possible |
| Your Secret Phrase was stored on the phone, for example in photos, notes, or email | Move your funds to a brand-new wallet right away |
| You see transactions you didn't make | Your wallet is compromised. Follow What to Do If Your Crypto Wallet Is Compromised? |
To move your funds, create a new wallet with a new Secret Phrase, back it up, and send everything from the old wallet to it. Don't keep using a Secret Phrase that someone else may have.
Step 3 - Secure the Lost Phoneâ
- Use Find My (iPhone) or Find My Device (Android) to lock or erase the phone remotely.
- Change the passwords of accounts that were signed in on the phone, especially your email and exchange accounts.
- If the phone was stolen, report it to your carrier and the police.
Erasing the phone removes Gem Wallet from it, but doesn't affect your funds on the blockchain.
Prepare Now, Before Anything Happensâ
- Write down your Secret Phrase and keep it somewhere safe and offline. See Backup Gem Wallet and Securing your Secret Phrase.
- Turn on the app lock with Face ID, fingerprint, or your passcode.
- Use a strong device passcode, not a simple pattern or a 4-digit code.
- Don't store the Secret Phrase in screenshots, cloud notes, email, or chat apps.
Gem Wallet support will never ask for your Secret Phrase, even to help you recover a wallet. Anyone who offers to "recover" your wallet for a fee is a scammer.