AirGap has a unique offline approach where your secret is securely generated with AirGap Vault on an offline device and then stored in the secure enclave of your offline mobile phone. This means you will have a secret that has never touched any network.

AirGap Wallet the companion application that is installed on your every-day smartphone is responsible for internet and protocol access. Transactions are created in AirGap Wallet, then communicated with one-way QR code to AirGap Vault, where the signing happens. To broadcast the transaction to the network, AirGap Wallet scans back the signed transaction QR code.

The offline approach focuses on the highest security available by storing your secret on a truly offline device with no connections to any network whatsoever. Ensuring that the secret is kept as safe as possible but with a caveat that the QR communication might be more cumbersome to use. This should be used as cold storage of larger funds.

The same devices approach brings still a lot of added security in comparison with other mobile wallets. With the two app approach the secret is encapsulated and protected through the permission handling of the operating system e.g. no network permission for AirGap Vault. The communication between the two apps is easier to use thanks to simple app switching. This is intended to manage smaller funds or used to interact with decentralized applications.

While setting up AirGap Vault, you will generate a new secret. This secret has a recovery phrase with 24 words attached. To always have a way back and to access your funds if for example you’ve uninstalled the AirGap Vault application, you can import that recovery phrase and regain access to your accounts.

It is important that you make a physical backup of this recovery phrase and store it in a secure place.

Alternatively you can use the social recovery functionality that AirGap provides, where multiple shares of your secret are created and only a certain number is needed for recovery.

AirGap Vault allows you to create a number of shares to recover your secret. The shares can be distributed to trusted individuals, safety deposit boxes or in another secure location.

1. Open AirGap Vault
2. Go to “Settings” and select your secret
3. Select “Social Recovery” to begin the process
4. Define the number of shares and the number of shares needed for recovery
5. Go through the wizard and write down each share individually

To import a secret from social recovery shares:

1. Open AirGap Vault
2. Go to “Settings” and select “Import” if you already have another secret added otherwise just select “Social Recovery” on the start screen
3. Set the number of shares you’ve defined
4. Enter the recovery phrases for the required shares

You can add multiple accounts for the same currency.

1. Open AirGap Vault
2. Select “Add Account”
3. Select the currency
4. Toggle “Advanced Mode”
5. change the last number of the derivation path e.g. “m/44’/354’/0’/0/1” for Polkadot

On certain Android devices you might experience a “BadPaddingException” error that can occur after you’ve changed your local authentication (fingerprint, faceid, pin or pattern).

You will have to re-import your secret with your recovery phrase to circumvent this error.

1. Open AirGap Vault and go to “Settings”
2. Select “Add Secret” and then “Import”
3. Enter your 24 words recovery phrase
4. Give your secret a name and then add your desired accounts again
5. Go to “Settings”, select your previous secret and remove it through “Delete” in the three-dot menu on the top right
6. You should no longer receive the “BadPaddingException” error and be able to sign transactions again

On certain devices you might experience an issue that you cannot sign any transactions. This can occur after you’ve changed your local authentication (fingerprint, faceid, pin or pattern).

You will have to re-import your secret with your recovery phrase to circumvent this issue.

1. Open AirGap Vault and go to “Settings”
2. Select “Add Secret” and then “Import”
3. Enter your 24 words recovery phrase
4. Give your secret a name and then add your desired accounts again
5. Go to “Settings”, select your previous secret and remove it through “Delete” in the three-dot menu on the top right
6. You should be able to sign transactions again

You’ve set an additional passcode additionally to your local authentication method (fingerprint, faceid, pin or pattern).

To reset it, you need to re-import your secret:

1. Open AirGap Vault and go to “Settings”
2. Select “Add Secret” and then “Import”
3. Enter your 24 words recovery phrase
4. Give your secret a name and optionally provide another passcode
5. Add your desired accounts again
6. Go to “Settings”, select your previous secret and remove it through “Delete” in the three-dot menu on the top right
7. You can now sign transactions again

Various factors like glare could result in issues successfully scanning a QR. The transaction data might also be too big and the QR size increases resulting in scanning difficulties.

For most protocol where this could be potentially an issue we’ve already enabled our new serializer that breaks up the QR codes in chunks and pages through them automatically, allowing for much more data to be transferred.

You can activate the serializer globally for AirGap Vault or AirGap Wallet through the settings.

1. Open AirGap Vault or AirGap Wallet
2. Go to “Settings”
3. Toggle the option “Enable new serializer”
4. QR codes are now split up and are automatically switched for easier scanning

If you’re using the “MAX” setting in AirGap Wallet while preparing a transaction, we automatically subtract the transaction fee from that amount. In some cases it can occur that the transaction fee calculated is higher or lower and you will see a “not enough” balance error pop up.

Manually set the amount a bit lower an try again.

Sometimes transaction might take longer to be confirmed by the network. When creating a transaction in AirGap Wallet a fee is calculated depending on your preference between slow & cheap and fast & expensive.

If you go to your account e.g. Tezos, you will see an entry below “Pending Transaction”. You can take a look at the block explorer to understand more about the status, by selecting the transaction and then “Open Blockexplorer”.

If you have waited for a few hours and the transaction still hasn’t been confirmed. You can recreate the transaction again in AirGap Wallet, this time you can either use fast & expensive or set your own fee. Go through the signing process with AirGap Vault and broadcast the transaction with AirGap Wallet.

AirGap supports Staking for various protocols through the “Delegation” functionality. You will delegate your funds to a validator that will take part in the networks validation you and the validator will receive rewards for providing this stake.

To start delegating and receive rewards:

1. Select your account e.g. Tezos
2. Select “Delegation”
3. Click “Delegate”
4. Go through the transaction signing process with AirGap Vault
5. You’re now delegated an will earn rewards

Supported Staking protocols:

• Tezos
• Cosmos
• Polkadot
• Kusama

If you’ve undelegated your ATOMs (Cosmos) you will have to wait for 21 days until they become transferable again. You will see the date when you will be able to transfer your ATOMs (Cosmos) again in AirGap Wallet under “Delegation”.

When delegating Tezos from a new account a period of 12 cycles equaling about 36 days need to pass until you will be eligible for the first reward.

In Tezos a baker (validator) pays out rewards manually, this means that you might receive rewards not right after the first minute of a new cycle but rather a bit later.

If you’re not receiving rewards for a long time, reach out to the baker (validator) directly. If you’ve not chosen any other baker in AirGap, you’ve delegated to us and can reach us with any questions at [email protected]

Keep in mind that you can still transfer your XTZ (Tezos) during that time as Tezos.

When delegating ATOMs (Cosmos) you will need to manually claim your rewards.

1. Open AirGap Wallet
2. Select your ATOM (Cosmos) account
3. Select “Delegation”
4. Select the “Rewards” tab and then click on “Claim Rewards”
5. Go through the transaction signing process with AirGap Vault and broadcasting with AirGap Wallet
6. You’ve unlocked your rewards