Replacing a device without losing access
- Author
- CRYPTO PORT Editorial
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 6 min
In short
The accident that happens most often when changing phones or computers is forgetting to migrate the authenticator app. Before you let the old device go: migrate two-factor, confirm wallet recovery, and move your records off it — and verify recovery by actually using the new device.
Key points
- Confirm every migration is complete before wiping or disposing of the old device
- Authenticator apps migrate in their own way, and some exchanges need re-enrolment
- Restore the wallet on the new device and check that balances appear
- Recovery may involve entering a seed phrase — verify you are in the genuine app first
Definition
The sequence for moving authentication, wallets and records intact when you replace a device used to manage crypto.
The trouble with device migration is that you notice the loss late. The new phone works fine, so nothing seems wrong, and three weeks later you try to log into an exchange and cannot produce a two-factor code — by which point the old device has been wiped and traded in. A fixed order of operations almost entirely prevents this.
Start with two-factor. Authenticator apps differ: some migrate everything in one transfer, others require you to disable and re-enrol service by service. Doing that while the old device still works is far easier than afterwards, when an exchange may put you through identity verification that takes days.
Then wallets. Reinstall software wallets on the new device, restore, and confirm that balances and history appear. Note that restoring involves entering a seed phrase — so verify first that you are in the genuine app, installed from the official store, and not a lookalike with a near-identical name. This is exactly the check that gets skipped when you are in a hurry.
Third, move the records. Transaction CSVs, address notes, screenshots stored on the old device. Anything synced to cloud storage comes across by itself; anything held only locally has to be moved by hand. Go through the old device before wiping it.
Wipe the old device only once all of that is done. Logging out of crypto apps does not always clear what they stored, so perform a full factory reset before parting with it. If you use a hardware wallet, the device itself is unchanged — you only need to confirm once that it connects and signs correctly from the new machine.
Watch out for
- · Wiping the old device before migrating two-factor can lock you out of your accounts
- · When entering a seed phrase to restore, confirm the app is genuine and came from the official store
- · Log out and then fully factory-reset the old device before letting it go
Frequently asked questions
What should I check before wiping the old device?
On the new device, actually confirm three things: you can log into each exchange with two-factor, wallet balances are visible, and the files you need are there. Wipe only after all three pass.