An Overview:
Before we get into the nitty gritty, it’s worth re-explaining what kind of wallet Rainbow is and your responsibility in making sure all of your wallet bases are covered.
Rainbow is a fully non-custodial wallet, meaning, we never have access to your keys and therefore can't assist with recovery should you lose your secret phrase and not have backed up using our iCloud or Google Drive features. Keeping your wallet secure is a key step in wallet ownership and vital to the web3 space.
Write down your secret phrase:
When you initially created a wallet with Rainbow, you automatically generated your secret phrase. Your secret phrase (the 12 words) is the password to your wallet, you can access it again by going to Settings -> Wallets & Backup!
Before swapping phones and wiping the data on the current device, you’ll want to separately (and securely) write down your secret phrase and store it manually in a safe location. While Rainbow has the option to back up using iCloud or Google Drive, it’s always a recommended route to separately have your secret phrase accessible.
👉 When writing down your secret phrase, be wary of spaces, capitalization, and punctuation. Rainbow has a copy feature which will allow you to safely view/paste how the phrase should be imported.
Backing up on iCloud or Google Drive:
In addition to writing your secret phrase, you’ll also want to confirm your wallet(s) is fully backed up using either iCloud or Google Drive depending on your device. Your wallet is fully backed up only if your status is green and states up to date.
You can double check your backups by heading to Settings → Wallets & Backup → Double checking the green status: up to date
Rainbow on your new device:
Once you have your information secure and confirmed, you’ll then be able to add those details to your new device once Rainbow is downloaded!
You can import using your secret phrase: https://rainbow.me/support/app/add-an-additional-wallet
You can restore from iCloud/Google Drive: https://rainbow.me/support/app/restore-from-a-backup
No Restore from iCloud/Google Drive option?
If you’re looking to restore your backup but don’t see the option on your newest device, it’s worth triple confirming that you created the backup on your original device. Before swapping phones, you’ll want to circle back on those status updates and verify the backups were made.