Seakret
What it is
The recovery phrase is a list of 24 ordinary words that can re-create access to your vault. It is made on your phone when you create the vault, and it is never sent to us.
What it is for
- Forgot your pattern or passphrase? Choose Use recovery phrase on the unlock screen to get back in.
- New phone? Together with a backup from your own Google Drive, it restores your vault (how to back up).
How Seakret checks you saved it
When you create a vault, Seakret shows the 24 words and then asks you to type back a few of them, at positions it chooses. That is to make sure you wrote them down correctly, because a small mistake would be found only when you need the phrase most. Take the check seriously and copy the words slowly, in order.
How to keep it safe
- Write it on paper, in order, and store it somewhere private and safe.
- Do not keep it only on the same phone as the vault, and do not photograph it.
- Do not share it. Anyone with the phrase and a backup can open your vault.
Where to keep it, and where not to
- Best: written on paper, in order, numbered, kept somewhere private and safe, such as a locked drawer. A second copy in a different safe place protects you against fire or loss.
- Be careful with: a note on the same phone, a photo of the page, an email to yourself or a cloud document. Anyone who gets into those has the phrase.
- If you use a password manager you trust, a secure note there is better than a photo, but paper kept offline is still the safest.
- Do not share it with anyone, including anyone claiming to be support. We will never ask for it.
If you lose it
We cannot recover it for you. We do not have it, so we cannot reset it or send it again. If you lose both the phrase and your pattern or passphrase, nobody, including us, can open your vault. That is the price of nobody else holding your key. To reduce the risk, choose your lock carefully: pattern or passphrase.
Common mistakes
- Writing the words out of order, or skipping a number.
- Guessing a word you cannot read, for example from smudged handwriting. Write clearly.
- Saving it only on the phone that holds the vault.
- Treating the check as a formality and skipping it. If a word is wrong, you will only find out when you need the phrase.
What you need to restore on a new phone
Two things: the recovery phrase and a backup. If you only have the phrase, there is nothing to restore into. If you only have a backup, it cannot be opened. Read how to back up to your own Google Drive and choose your lock carefully with pattern or passphrase. The design behind all of this is on the security page.