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Frequently Asked Questions

Passport

Passport is the hardware wallet you already know how to use.

Why store my Bitcoin on Passport instead of an exchange?

Bitcoin is freedom money; it gives you ownership over your own financial destiny. There is a common expression in the Bitcoin world: not your keys, not your coins!

Exchange hacks and losses of funds are common occurrences in the Bitcoin world, and no exchange is too big to fail. The more Bitcoin owned by a single exchange, the larger the incentive for attackers to try to steal your coins.

By storing your own private keys, you can have true ownership over your Bitcoin while removing the ability for hackers to steal large quantities of Bitcoin from custodians – this strengthens the Bitcoin network!

I’ve tried other hardware wallets before. Why should I try Passport?

For new users, Passport is designed to be intuitive and approachable. The navigation pad and familiar interface make it easy to set up and use Passport. If you’ve previously found hardware wallets to be intimidating or difficult, we think you’ll have a better experience with Passport.

For expert users, Passport offers powerful features like multisig address verification, BIP85 Key Manager, keypad for easy passphrase entry, and much more!

Why is Open Source hardware important?

Bitcoin is Open Source software, and we believe Open Source software should run on open source hardware. Bitcoin necessitates a completely new type of hardware security model – since transactions are immutable, there is no recourse if your Bitcoin are stolen or lost.
Today’s hardware is mostly closed source and uses proprietary designs with confidentiality agreements.

Open Source hardware means that security researchers can more easily identify vulnerabilities in our products. It also means that we can adopt best practices from other Open Source hardware projects – and other Open Source hardware projects can adopt our best practices too! This leads to a healthy, more secure hardware ecosystem and means that your Bitcoin will be safer.

Besides Bitcoin, does Passport support other cryptocurrencies?

No, Passport only supports Bitcoin. We do not have any immediate plans to support other cryptocurrencies, and are laser-focused on building the best Bitcoin hardware wallet.

Does Passport include a mobile or desktop app?

Envoy, our mobile companion app, is thoughtfully designed to offer the best Passport experience. However, Envoy is optional and not a requirement to use Passport in any way.

Passport is designed to work with most popular Bitcoin wallets and services. This ensures that you have the ability to select your preferred software wallet, instead of being forced to use our software or services. And it also ensures that Passport strives for mass-compatibility with the Bitcoin ecosystem.

Is Passport airgapped?

Passport is completely airgapped, with only a camera and microSD slot for communications, no wireless functionality of any kind. This is important because it closes off numerous attack vectors and ensures that Passport can never communicate directly with an Internet-connected device.

Why is Passport assembled in the USA?

Foundation Devices is headquartered in the USA, and we believe it is important to have as close a control over our supply chains as possible. By assembling Passport in the USA, we can ensure that (1) we are on the factory floor and closely overseeing assembly, (2) our manufacturers are held to higher regulatory and transparency standards.

Envoy

Envoy is a simple Bitcoin mobile wallet with powerful privacy features.

Why should I use Envoy?

Envoy is designed to offer the easiest to use experience of any Bitcoin wallet, without compromising on your privacy. With Envoy Magic Backups, set up a self custodied Bitcoin mobile wallet in 60 seconds, without seed words!

Passport users can connect their devices to Envoy for easy setup, firmware updates, and a simple Bitcoin wallet experience.

What can Envoy do?

Get set up with a new mobile wallet, complete with automatic backups, in 60 seconds. Get guided Passport setup and management and receive notification when a new firmware update is available. You can even install it right from your phone!

Envoy also enables you to receive into your offline cold storage from anywhere in the world, or to initiate Bitcoin spends, ready for authorization by Passport. Envoy will also notify you of company announcements such as blog posts, special offers, security upgrades or new hardware and software releases.

What are Envoy Magic Backups?

Magic Backups are the easiest way to set up and back up a Bitcoin mobile wallet. Magic Backups store your mobile wallet seed (not your Passport seed) end-to-end encrypted in iCloud Keychain or Android Auto Backup. All app data is encrypted by your Envoy seed and stored on Foundation Servers.

Set up your mobile wallet in 60 seconds, and automatically restore if you lose your phone.

Do I need to buy a Passport to use Envoy?

Absolutely not. As well as being the best companion application for use with Passport, Envoy is a fully featured mobile wallet, perfect for securing your smaller day-to-day spending amounts of Bitcoin.

Do I need to pay for Envoy?

No, Envoy’s core features, including mobile wallet functionality, backups, and Passport management will always be free to use. In the future we may introduce paid tiers or subscriptions for additional features.

Can I manage more than one Passport with Envoy?

Yes, there is no limit to the number of Passports you can manage and interact with using Envoy.

Is Envoy Open Source?

Yes, like everything we do at Foundation, Envoy is completely Open Source. Envoy is licensed under the same GPLv3 license as our Passport Firmware. For those wanting to check our source code, click here.

New to self custody? Try Concierge, Our Live 1:1 support service

Created after the realization that no matter the thoroughness of our documentation, video guides, and community, some users find great value in a more personalized touch.

You’ll also have the opportunity to ask any related questions to learn more about Passport and Bitcoin best practices.

$99.00 - Add to Cart

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