Product update: Transaction memos and encrypted backups

by Michael Haley 4 years ago 4 min read

This week, we’re excited to announce two features that many users have been requesting!

Transaction memos - so you can label your individual transactions
Encrypted mobile key backups - for added security and to make it easy to switch between Android and iOS

Both updates are live today in your Casa App. Here’s how you can get started:

Adding a transaction memo takes just a few seconds.

Transaction memos

Now you can add a memo to every Bitcoin transaction you send or receive though your Casa App. It’s great for staying organized and keeping track of details like cost basis. To add a memo, all you need to do is:

Tap into any transaction
Tap ‘Add’
Then enter any text you want (including emojis) and hit ‘Save’

You can add a memo anytime you’re sending a new transaction and can edit a memo as many times as you want. Memo previews will show up when you’re signing a multisig transaction and also in your full transaction history.

A note on privacy - Memos are encrypted and never touch the Bitcoin blockchain. Still, as a precaution we don’t recommend putting sensitive info in them (such as your name, or any Personal Identifiable Information- PII).

Coin control at Casa - As a reminder, if you want to send bitcoin *only* from a specific address, just tap the ‘Send From’ button to select the address (or addresses) you want to send from. We’re hard at work on some major improvements to make it easier and safer for you to organize your coins with Casa. Transaction memos are just the first part of this. So stay tuned!

To send *only* from specific addresses, tap the Send From button when you're preparing your transaction. (Addresses in screenshots above are occluded in purple.)

Encrypted mobile key backups

We’ve also added the ability for you to export, import, and back up any mobile Bitcoin key you create through your Casa App via encrypted QR Code Backups.

This has two key benefits:

It’s now possible to transfer your mobile keys between iOS and Android. This makes switching your mobile OS easier.
Security-conscious users now have the option for more redundant backups.

Let’s unpack these separately.

Switching between iOS and Android

If you’re upgrading your iPhone, or moving from an old Android phone to a newer model, your mobile keys will always restore automatically to your new device.

But since Casa uses OS-specific clouds (iCloud for iOS, Google Drive for Android) to store encrypted backups, restoring your key is not possible if you’re switching your mobile OS. This update changes that.

To export from your old phone

Tap into your key and head to the ‘Import or Export Backup’ menu
Hit ‘Export’ to display your encrypted QR Code Backup

Your QR Code Backup is encrypted and only your Casa account can unlock it.

To import to your new phone

Head into the key on your new device and tap ‘Import’
Scan the new QR code
Your key will restore safely and instantly on your new device

Mobile Bitcoin keys can be restored instantly via QR code.

👉 This QR Code Backup is encrypted and only your Casa account can unlock it. If another Casa client tried to scan this QR code it would fail. No other app or Bitcoin wallet will be able to decrypt it.

More redundant backups

You can also download a PDF containing your QR Code Backup. This is great for users who want an extra level of redundancy in the rare, but not impossible, event that the encrypted cloud backup of their key is lost or corrupted, or for Android users who opt out of storing a backup with Google Drive.

For users storing lots of bitcoin in their single-key Casa Wallet, we recommend keeping a copy of this PDF.

To download a PDF

Head back to the ‘Import or Export Backup’ menu
Hit ‘Export’
Tap ‘Export PDF’ to download your PDF
Be sure to check out our help center for best practices on how to keep it safe.

👉 Because this backup can only be decrypted by your Casa App (and only by you), restoring from a QR Code Backup means you’re relying on Casa. If you ever need to recover your Bitcoin mobile key independently from Casa, we make it easy for you to export your seed phrase at any time (even if you’re offline) and restore it to another wallet like Electrum, using our step-by-step Sovereign Recovery Guide (walletsrecovery.org).

Need peace of mind about your Bitcoin security? Let's get it handled.

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