Best Android Bitcoin Wallets

Samourai Get Samourai Read Review

Considered to be one of the most feature rich and private Bitcoin wallets on the market. Bitcoiners love the coinjoin features native to Samourai, however the Android wallet is currently in beta so may be unstable.

Pros

• Open Source
• Full Segwit suport
• Coinjoin functionality
• Tor and VPN connection available
• Connect to full node

Cons

• May be unstable since this is app is in beta
• Build not verifiable

Zengo Get Zengo

Zengo is a new kind of cryptowallet where your private key is encrypted and stored on Zengo's server and accessed via your Android's faciel recognition technology. This makes it easier to restore your wallet if it's ever lost, but you must trust Zengo to be honest and competent at protecting your keys.

Pros

• Easy for beginners
• Backups and restoring are simple
• No need to hide a seed phrase
• Beautiful UI

Cons

• Need to trust Zengo and Your device manufacturer
• New key management method untested on the market
• Closed source

Blockstream Green Get BS Green Read Review

Blockstream Green is one of the most unqique and secure Android Bitcoin wallets on the market. It uses a 2-of-2 style backup so if you ever lose your backup, you can use any two factor authentication to recover it. It's also super simple to set up and requires no registration other than an email address.

Pros

• Easy to set up
• Excellent fee estimation
• Two-Factor multi-sig
• Multilingual
• Great support
• Compatible with Ledger and Trezor Hardware Wallets

Cons

• Some features are advanced for beginners
• Using two-factor recovery can be confusing

Ledger Live Get Ledger Live Read Review

Ledger Live is a little bit different than all the other wallet apps on this list. That's because you actually need a Ledger hardware wallet for it to work. This makes it by far the most secure Android Wallet app on this list, but it also means that using it isn't exactly 'free'.

WARNING

The google play store has more than one Ledger Live app listed. A few appear to be frauds. We have linked to the one Ledger itself has linked to, but if you want to be certain, we recommend going to Ledger's page where they link to their google play app page.

Pros

• Most secure
• Great UI
• Easy to use
• All crypto in one dashboard
• Compatible with Ledger Hardware Wallets

Cons

• Must buy a Ledger hardware wallet to use
• Confirming transactions can be confusing for new users

Buy Ledger Nano X

BRD Wallet Get BRD Read Review

BRD is good for new bitcoin users who are just getting comfortable sending and receiving bitcoins. The UI is one of the best among Android Bitcoin and crypto wallets and you don't need to do any sort of sign up process to use it. However, some users report syncing issues and technical support is not known to be great.

Pros

• Beautiful user interface
• Utilizes industry-leading hardware encryption
• No signup required
• In app exchange built in
• Open Source

Cons

• Minimal technical support
• Syncing issues common
• BRD aware of how much crypto you have (even if they dont know who you are)
• Not compatible with any hardware wallets - less secure

Mycelium Get Mycelium Read Review

Mycelium is one of the oldest and most trusted mobile Bitcoin wallet apps on the market. It's packed with features and even shows tickers and stats for traditional stocks so if that interests you, it may help you delete some other apps on your phone as well.

Pros

• No Blockchain install
• Super nodes makes connection to blockchain fast
• One of the oldest and most trusted Bitcoin wallets
• Many advanced features
• Open Source
• Compatible with Ledger, Trezor and Keepkey devices.

Cons

• More advanced wallet not ideal for beginners
• Traditional stock dashboard may distract from crypto-only holders

Jaxx Liberty Get Jaxx

Jaxx Liberty is a very popular bitcoin wallet with support for tons of different coins, an in-app exchange and native block explorers. The news panel that lets users know of the latest news regarding their coins is a nice touch. Some, though, have run into issues with various altcoins on Jaxx Liberty.

Pros

• Easily manage multiple coins from a single interface
• Informative news panel
• Multi-chain block explorers native to app
• In-app exchange built in
• Supports over 80 coins

Cons

• Only 12 word backup phrase
• Many complaints of coding issues preventing sending coins
• May support more coins than they can keep up with
• Not compatible with any hardware wallets - less secure

Edge (AirBitz) Get Edge

Edge is a feature packed Bitcoin wallet for Android. It aims to make spending bitcoins a breeze, since it offers a Bitcoin merchant directory and the ability to buy gift cards from within the app! Also Edge takes advantage of your Android device by allowing you to use your fingerprint to unlock your wallet.

Pros

• Edge does not know your holdings
• Fingerprint unlock support
• No Address Re-use
• Open Source
• Built in exchange

Cons

• Purchases through in-app exchange slow
• Many reports of regular app crashing
• Not compatible with any hardware wallets - less secure

If after reading this you’re converting to iPhone, then check out the best bitcoin wallets for iPhone!

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Chapter 1

How to Add Funds to Your Android Wallet

Now that you have chosen a wallet, let's transfer some funds into it.

In this brief walkthrough, we will show you how to add funds to your Android wallet

For you to add funds to your Android Wallet, you will need to find an exchange to buy crypto from then transfer it to your Android Wallet. Many Android Wallets have exchanges native to them (as seen above), however, these exchanges generally charge very high fees for the convenience, so it’s generally better to use a dedicated exchange, like Kraken or Coinbase.

Kraken Exchange homepage

You’ll need to choose an exchange that services your country and/or state. You can find a full list of exchanges sorted by country and preffered payment method on our exchange finder or you can see the most popular exchanges below:

After you have bought your crypto, you’ll need to send it to your wallet. To do that, do the following:

1. Open you wallet and find an option to “receive”

2. Copy the address given

3. On your exchange where you bought your coins, select the “send” option.

4. There should be a field to input your wallet address copied in step 2. Paste it there.

5. Confirm you want to send your coins.

After that, you should receive a confirmation with a transaction ID of some kind. Here is what that might look like.

What a transcation ID looks like (the number starting with "804")

Chapter 2

Hardware Wallets: A Great Addition to Android Wallets

With funds in your Android wallet, its time to take your security to the next level.

The best way to do that is with a hardware wallet like a ledger or trezor

Android Wallets have the advantage of being free and easy to use. However, using an Android Wallet also poses many dangers to your coins.

Making sure your coins are not stolen through malware or ransomware is difficult to avoid on an Android Wallet.

Malware and Ransomware on your Android device can result in stolen coins

Hardware wallets are a great choice because they never connect to the internet. They store your private keys and sign transactions you send to them. You verify the transaction on the screen of the hardware wallet, and give the signed transaction to the Android device.

If you plan on storing large amounts of coins, we either recommend a hardware wallet exclusively or choosing an Android Wallet that allows you to hold your private keys on a hardware wallet.

Some of our favorite hardware wallets.

Hardware wallets are a great way, then, to keep your coins safe if you want to use an Android Wallet. Instead of housing the private keys on your phone or tablet, you store them on your hardware wallet and the desktop just acts as a user interaface to the send and receive coins.

Unfortunately, Only Blockstream Green, Ledger Live, and Mycelium support hardware wallets, so options are limited if you are serious about taking your security seriously and using an Android Wallet.

Ledger Nano X

• SCREEN:
• RELEASED: 2019
• PRICE: $119

BUY NOW

Ledger Nano S

• SCREEN:
• RELEASED: 2016
• PRICE: $59

BUY NOW

TREZOR T

• SCREEN:
• RELEASED: 2018
• PRICE: $159

BUY NOW

TREZOR One

• SCREEN:
• RELEASED: 2013
• PRICE: $59

BUY NOW

Chapter 3

Security Tips for Android Wallets

Now that we've got our Android wallet set up with a hardware wallet, let's explore a few additional points on security.

PINs, VPNs, and Steel wallets are great additions to our security stack.

Always set up a PIN to protect your funds

Make sure your Android wallet is protected by a 4 to 6 digit PIN number. Much your like bank account, most wallets have a PIN password that is the absolutel minimum when it comes to protecting funds you keep on your wallet. This prevents someone who has your phone from accessing the coins and sending them to another wallet that they own.

Setting up a PIN is a minimal requirement when it comes to mobile wallet security.

A PIN is not very strong security, but its good enough to prevent most people who have temporary access to your unlocked phone from taking your money.

Store your recovery phrase on something that is water and fire proof

All the Android wallets on this list support BIP39 seed words, otherwise known as ‘recovery phrases’. If your phone is lost, destroyed, or stolen, you can use this phrase to recover your funds to a new device.

However, most people write down these words on a piece of paper. When their home catches fire or is flooded, they lose the device and the backup to the elements. You should therefore consider a steel backup device like the Billfodl or Cryptosteel.

The Billfodl protects your funds from fire and flood.

DO NOT store a lot of coins on your Android wallet

We’ve mentioned this before, but its worth repeating: you should treat your Android wallet the same way you treat your real world wallet or billfold. You wouldnt carry every dollar you own in your pocket. You should also not hold all your coins on your Android wallet. You need to store them on a hardware wallet.

Use a VPN when transacting on an Android wallet

A VPN shields your IP address from leaking.

When making Bitcoin transactions on your Android wallet, it is a good practice to use a VPN. This prevents your ISP or hackers listening in on your connection from tying your IP address (and therefore your personal identity) to your Bitcoin transactions. It’s a good privacy practice that is cheap and easy to implement.