👨🏫FAQ
⚠️ Store your mnemonic passphrase privately and NEVER share it with anyone ⚠️
Admins will never DM you first and will never request anything from you — if you see a person sending you a message with the same photo & name that admins have — it's a scam.
Admins will never ask you for crypto/private key/seed phrase. Do NOT open links from anyone in DMs to “verify/synchronize your wallet” or any requests to “fill Google form” — these people are trying to scam you. Please Report and block them.
If you share your seed phrase with anyone they will then have control of your account and your assets.
Is Nova Wallet safe, does it have access to my private key / passphrase?
Nova Wallet is a non-custodial web3 wallet solution for iOS and Android devices. Your private key is stored locally on your device, in the enclosed secured storage of your operating system, and it is encrypted with the user's personal secret (for now, in the form of a PIN code).
In the event that a user is using a hardware wallet (Parity Signer / Ledger) in conjunction with Nova Wallet, then the private key isn't even stored on the user's device. It is stored within the Cold Wallet only. For more information, see the Security page of this wiki.
Does Nova Wallet collect and/or share my data?
Nova Wallet does not collect any user data and therefore cannot send any user data anywhere for any purpose (even for analytics). All data is stored locally, only on the user's device.
Can I import my existing Polkadot (Substrate) account into Nova Wallet?
Yes, you can import your existing Polkadot (Substrate) account into Nova Wallet using the Import Wallet function. You can import your account via mnemonic passphrase, raw seed, or by using the JSON file. After you have imported your account, your balances for supported assets will be shown in the Nova Wallet UI.
Can I import my existing Metamask account (or another EVM account) into Nova Wallet?
Yes, you can import your existing Metamask (or other EVM) account into Nova Wallet using the Import Wallet function. However, please be aware that currently only importing via mnemonic passphrase is supported for EVM accounts. After you have imported your account, your balance for supported assets will be shown in the Nova Wallet UI.
Can I use Polkadot Vault with Nova Wallet?
Yes! Nova Wallet supports the Polkadot Vault cold wallet solution! See the Polkadot Vault section under Hardware Wallets for more information!
Can I use Parity Signer with Nova Wallet?
Yes! Nova Wallet supports the Parity Signer cold wallet solution! See the Parity Signer section under Hardware Wallets for more information!
Can I use my Ledger with Nova Wallet?
Yes! Nova Wallet supports the Ledger Nano X hardware wallet via bluetooth connectivity! See the Ledger Nano X section under Hardware Wallets for more information!
Is Nova Wallet available on desktop?
No, Nova Wallet is only available for iOS and Android devices. For desktop, you can try out Nova Spektr, a secure enterprise wallet for the Polkadot & Kusama ecosystem.
I found a bug with Nova Wallet, how can I report it?
Please report bugs via email to: support@novawallet.io
How can I request a feature to be added to Nova Wallet?
We are always looking to add more community-requested features to Nova Wallet! You can submit a request here.
How can I securely store my passphrase?
It is extremely important to remember that your passphrase is basically the master password for your account. If you lose it, you may not be able to recover your account. If someone else steals your passphrase, they can steal all of your assets.
It is highly recommended to store your seed phrase offline (i.e. not on your phone or your computer) and split it up into multiple fragments. This is known as the Banana Split method. See the Seed Phrase Management section of this wiki for more info.
I have forgotten my PIN code for Nova Wallet, how can I recover my account?
If you have forgotten your PIN code, then you will have to re-install Nova Wallet and import your accounts again.
How do I add a new wallet?
Open the Nova Wallet application.
Selectthe identicon at the top right of the screen.Selectthe settings option (cogwheel).SelectAdd Wallet.
You can also check how to add your first wallet on the Create a New Wallet page. If you are looking for importing options, you can find them on the Import Wallet page.
How can I find, export my passphrase?
Open the Nova Wallet application.
Selectthe identicon at the top right of the screen.Selectthe settings option (cogwheel).Selectthe account that you wish to export.Selecta network, in most cases you can choose Polkadot.SelectExport account.SelectMnemonic Passphrase.
You can also go through different exporting options on the Export Wallet page.
What is "Safe Mode"?
When you toggle on Safe Mode, some additional privacy features are enabled. This includes the app contents being obscured when the app is minimized, for example, when navigating through apps via the "recent" screen, only a black screen will be shown.
Additionally, you can no longer take a screenshot whilst tabbed into the Nova Wallet application, and any screen recording software will show the Nova Wallet application as a black screen, rather than displaying the app itself.
You can toggle on/off safe mode by:
Selectthe settings icon.In the Security section, adjust the toggle to set Safe Mode on/off.
*Please note that currently, Safe Mode is only available on Android devices.
How can I revoke permissions from a DApp?
Open the Nova Wallet application.
Select the DApps / Browser screen based on your device's operation system.
Select the preferences / filter icon.
In the list of Authorized DApps, select the X to the right of the DApp name.
Select Remove.
How can I migrate my Darwinia / Crab accounts?
The Darwinia and Crab parachains have been updated to new chains which have EVM implementation. In order to migrate your accounts, you must use Darwinia's Migration DApp.
Open the Nova Wallet application.
Select the DApps / Browser screen based on your device's operation system.
Select the Darwinia App, and select Allow when prompted.
Ensure that you are on the Portal section of the Darwinia DApp.
Select Account Migration.
Select Connect Wallet.
Input your EVM address into the Migrate to EVM account field (note: Ensure that you personally control the private key for this account, such as your Nova Wallet EVM address).
Select Migrate.
Carefully review the Attention text which pops up (Note: The Nova Wallet team cannot help you recover your account if you fail to follow these prompts correctly).
Tick the boxes after verifying you agree to them, and select Agree and Continue.
Review the Migration Confirmation and then select Confirm and Migrate.
Select Confirm.
When migrating, you must select your "old" Darwinia/Crab accounts as the primary account in Nova Wallet.
You must manually input your EVM account for the migration so that it can be utilized from Nova Wallet.
Not enough tokens to pay the fee
If you get the error "Not enough tokens to pay the fee – you don't have enough balance to pay the network fee of [amount] [token]. Available balance to pay fee after the operation [amount] [token]." This error is caused because each network may have a minimum balance that you have to keep. If your transferable balance falls below this amount (even temporarily) then your account is deleted from the blockchain.
In order to complete your transaction, you need to add more tokens to your transferable balance. You need to make sure your transferable balance covers the minimum balance PLUS the transaction fee.
For Polkadot:
Polkadot has a minimum transferable balance of 1 DOT. If your account falls below 1 DOT in its transferable balance (even temporarily) then your account is deleted from the blockchain.
In order to complete this transaction, you should make sure that you have 1 DOT + the amount of DOT for the transaction fee in your transferable balance. For example, you should have 1.1 DOT in your transferable balance.
In order to continue with the transaction, please add more DOT to your transferable balance.
I haven't received my tokens from a CEX
If you haven't received tokens that you have withdrawn from a CEX (such as Binance, Coinbase, Kucoin, Kraken, MEXC, etc.) it is typically because CEXs can face delays when processing both withdrawals and deposits – this can range from a few minutes to a few hours.
You should verify that the transaction has been finalized on the blockchain by using a block explorer.
I sent tokens to a CEX and they haven't arrived
If you haven't received tokens that you have sent to a CEX (such as Binance, Coinbase, Kucoin, Kraken, MEXC, etc.) it is typically because CEXs can face delays when processing both withdrawals and deposits – this can range from a few minutes to a few hours.
You should verify that the transaction has been finalized on the blockchain by using a block explorer.
I was scammed / someone stole my tokens
Nova Wallet is a self-custodial wallet solution, it means that your account and the tokens that it holds are fully controlled by your seed phrase. If you share this seed phrase with anyone, then they have full access to your account and can carry out any transaction, including balance transfers.
Nova Wallet never custodies your tokens for you, like a CEX might do, as such it is impossible for us to assist with asset recovery.
Additionally, it is impossible to reverse blockchain transactions.
If you still have any tokens on your account then:
1. Immediately transfer those tokens to a new account, you can see how to create a new account here: https://docs.novawallet.io/nova-wallet-wiki/wallet-management/create-a-new-wallet#creating-an-additional-wallet
2. If you have tokens that are currently unstaking, then you need to transfer them away from your account before the scammer does.
The best bet for you to recover any tokens that have already been transferred away from your account would be to check to see if the scammer sends tokens to a CEX, then you may be able to contact that CEX who may be able to assist you in asset recovery.
My tokens are gone / missing
If there are operations being carried out on your account, and you did not initiate them, then it means a scammer has control of your account.
Nova Wallet is a self-custodial wallet solution, it means that your account and the tokens that it holds are fully controlled by your seed phrase. If you share this seed phrase with anyone, then they have full access to your account and can carry out any transaction, including balance transfers.
If you have accidentally shared your seed phrase with someone, for example, someone impersonating an admin, entered it into a random website, or stored it in plain text on cloud storage, then an attacker can take full access of your account.
Nova Wallet never custodies your tokens for you, like a CEX might do, as such it is impossible for us to assist with asset recovery. Additionally, it is impossible to reverse blockchain transactions.
If you still have any tokens on your account then:
Immediately transfer those tokens to a new account, you can see how to create a new account here: https://docs.novawallet.io/nova-wallet-wiki/wallet-management/create-a-new-wallet#creating-an-additional-wallet
If you have tokens that are currently unstaking, then you need to transfer them away from your account before the scammer does.
The best bet for you to recover any tokens that have already been transferred away from your account would be to check to see if the scammer sends tokens to a CEX, then you may be able to contact that CEX who may be able to assist you in asset recovery.
There is no price for a token
We currently use Coingecko for our Price Data Feeds, if the token does not have a price on Coingecko then we cannot show the price. If the coin you are asking about does have a price on Coingecko, then we will add it soon!
I cannot connect to a DApp
Nova Wallet allows you to connect to DApps using either the Polkadot JS or Metamask protocols. If you are trying to connect to a DApp but do not see the "Connect with Nova Wallet" option then you should select either the Polkadot JS or Metamask options
When will I get my airdrop from a project team?
For details regarding any specific airdrop such as the eligibility criteria or details regarding token distribution, you should contact the individual project team itself.
Nova Wallet is a self-custodial wallet, it means that you are in control of the assets on your account, and the Nova Wallet team does not hold them for you.
If there is an airdrop in the Polkadot ecosystem and you meet the eligibility criteria then in all likelihood you will receive the airdrop by using Nova Wallet.
I cannot see a token in my wallet
There are a few reasons why you may not be able to see a particular token in your wallet.
Make sure the token is not hidden: Tokens / Networks View
If it is an ERC-20 or XC-20 token on an EVM network that Nova Wallet supports, then you should add information about the token by following this guide: Add Custom ERC-20 Token
If it is a brand new chain that has just launched, then we are likely in communication with that project team to add their chain and token to Nova Wallet. Feel free to reach out to that project and let them know that you would like Nova Wallet to support their chain chain/token!
If it is a new token on an existing chain, then we are likely in communication with that project team to add their chain and token to Nova Wallet. Feel free to reach out to that project and let them know that they should inform Nova Wallet about the new token!
How can I stake a token? / Nova doesn't support staking for a token
Nova Wallet currently supports staking for a range of tokens from our staking screen. If you cannot see the token that you wish to stake on our staking screen then you should contact that project's development team and find out how to stake the token. You can use the DApp site that they tell you to use from Nova Wallet's DApp Browser Search for a DApp
Can you add a feature / when will you add this feature?
We dedicate a portion of our development time to implementing community-requested features. Please leave your feature idea on our Canny page so that we can review it and hopefully implement it! https://novawallet.canny.io/feature-exploration
I cannot swap a token
Currently, our swap feature supports the Hydration Omnipool and Isolated Pools and the tokens that are supported there. If the token you are referring to is currently not listed on Hydration, you currently cannot swap into it using our native swap UI. We are working on improving this feature so that you can swap more tokens.
In the meantime, you can connect to the Hydration DApp from the DApp browser (or any other DApp/DEX) in order to complete your desired operation.
You can access a range of DEXs from the DApp Browser – you should ask the project team for the token that you want to swap for more details regarding which DEX their token is listed on, and then you can access that DApp from the DApp Browser Search for a DApp
Can I export my transactions as a CSV file?
Currently, Nova Wallet does not support this feature, but you can use Subscan.
Tap your address in Nova Wallet -> view in Subscan -> go to the relevant tab, for example, "rewards" for staking rewards details -> View all -> Download all data
Nova Wallet is not loading
If you have an issue where certain screens in Nova Wallet are not loading correctly then try the following:
Ensure that you have the latest version of Nova Wallet downloaded.
Fully close and reopen the app (don't just minimize it).
Toggle off/on any VPNs – sometimes VPNs can cause connectivity issues. Sometimes some ISPs in certain geographical locations such as Russia, Ukraine, China and India can cause connectivity issues which require you to use a VPN to resolve the issue.
If you are facing issues when connecting to a 3rd party DApp then you need to contact the development team of that DApp for more help.
Please synchronize my wallet
There is no such thing as synchronizing your wallet. The Nova Wallet team does not hold your tokens. Nova Wallet is self-custodial meaning that you control the tokens in your account by yourself. If someone is asking you to synchronize your wallet then you are being scammed and should immediately block and report that person.
Why can't I buy tokens? / Why is the buy button grayed out?
The Buy feature in Nova Wallet redirects you to our fiat on-ramp partners for buying tokens. These providers are Banxa, Mercuryo, and Transak. Each provider has their own list of geographical locations that they support.
In general, if you are from one of the below geographical locations, you may have limited / no access to the buy feature:
Abkhazia, Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antarctica, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Bolivia, Burundi, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, China (Mainland), Colombia; Congo, the Democratic Republic of the; Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Eland Islands, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Malaysia, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Ossetia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia; United States of America, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of; Yemen, Zimbabwe
Cannot send RMRK tokens
RMRK primarily exists on Kusama Asset Hub. In order to conduct transactions on Kusama Asset Hub, you need KSM tokens on Kusama Asset Hub. If you have tokens on the Kusama main chain it will not work.
In order to proceed, please cross-chain transfer some KSM from Kusama to Kusama Asset Hub Send Tokens Cross-Chain
Cannot send token from Asset Hub
In order to send tokens from either Polkadot or Kusama Asset Hub you should have some DOT or KSM on their respective asset hub. (This may not apply for USDT and USDC)
To proceed, please cross-chain transfer some DOT or KSM to their respective Asset Hub Send Tokens Cross-Chain
For example, send DOT to Polkadot Asset Hub or KSM to Kusama Asset Hub.
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