You just unboxed a new phone. Zelcore is already running on your laptop, your balances are healthy, and everything feels familiar. You tap Sync in the app and expect something to happen automatically — some handshake between devices, a progress bar, maybe a two-factor prompt.
What actually happens: a text field appears asking for your seed phrase.
That's the whole mechanism. Zelcore's cross-device setup is a credential-import model, not a cloud sync. Your seed phrase is the transport. Understanding that distinction will make the next steps obvious — and will make you much harder to phish.
Before you start
- You must have your seed phrase written down and accessible (12 or 24 words, whichever Zelcore generated when you first created the wallet). If you haven't backed it up yet, stop here and read Backing Up and Recovering Your Zelcore Wallet first. There is no other way to bring Zelcore to a new device.
- Install Zelcore from the official source. Desktop: zelcore.io. Mobile: the official app stores. Browser: the official extension. Always verify you're on a genuine listing — counterfeit wallet apps exist on both iOS and Android app stores.
- The new device needs a working internet connection. After you import your seed phrase, Zelcore queries the blockchain directly to read your balances.
- Allow 5–15 minutes, depending on how many assets you hold and your connection speed.
If you're setting up Zelcore for the first time rather than adding a second device, see Setting Up Zelcore for the First Time instead.
How Zelcore sync actually works
When you enter your seed phrase on a new device, Zelcore does three things:
- Derives your wallet addresses using the BIP44 standard — the same deterministic math your original device used. Given the same seed, the same addresses are always produced.
- Queries the blockchains directly to read your balances and transaction history. Nothing is pulled from a Zelcore server; the data lives on-chain.
- Stores your encrypted credentials locally on the new device. Your seed phrase never leaves that device after setup.
This is also why Zelcore does not use iCloud Keychain, Google Drive, or any cloud backup service to store seed material. The credentials stay on-device, always encrypted.
Step-by-step: adding a second device
Step 1 — Open Zelcore on the new device and tap "Import Existing Wallet". Do not tap "Create New Wallet" — that generates a fresh seed phrase and a completely different set of addresses.
Step 2 — Select "Sync / Import with Seed Phrase". The app will show a numbered entry form with one field per word in your phrase.
Step 3 — Enter your seed phrase word by word, in order. Type carefully. Most failed imports come from a single transposed or misspelled word. The BIP39 word list is finite and each word is unique within its first four letters — the field will autocomplete as soon as you've typed enough characters to disambiguate, which helps catch typos before you finish.
Step 4 — Set a new app password and, if supported on your device, enable biometric unlock. This is a local access control, separate from your seed phrase. It does not transfer between devices — you configure it fresh on each one.
Step 5 — Wait for the wallet to load. Zelcore will scan the blockchains for each asset. If you hold many coins, this can take a few minutes. A spinning indicator next to each asset means the balance is still loading.
Step 6 — Verify your balances match. Open two or three assets and confirm the amounts match what your original device shows. On-chain balances should be identical within seconds of a new block.
What comes back — and what doesn't
| Restored automatically | NOT restored |
|---|---|
| All on-chain balances | App password / biometric config |
| Derived wallet addresses | Address book / contact labels |
| Full transaction history | Custom coin labels |
| All supported assets (once enabled) | Local app settings |
Your funds are fully accessible again. Your personalisations are not — those live only in local app storage.
iOS note: Swap and exchange features are disabled on iOS due to App Store policy. All wallet functions — send, receive, balance checking — work normally.
You'll know it worked when…
- Your balances on the new device match your original device.
- Tapping any asset shows the correct transaction history.
- You can generate a receive address and it matches the address shown on your original device.
If something goes wrong
"Invalid seed phrase" or import fails immediately Check word order first — a correct phrase entered out of sequence will fail because the BIP39 checksum won't match. Then check spelling: "abandon" vs "abondon", "acquire" vs "acuire". Use the autocomplete suggestions to verify each word is a real BIP39 word. If you're copying from a password manager, watch for smart quotes replacing straight apostrophes or invisible Unicode characters.
Balances show zero after import Wait a full minute and refresh. If still zero, check your internet connection. For less common assets, you may need to manually add the coin — go to Asset Management and enable it.
App asks for seed phrase again on relaunch You likely didn't complete the setup flow before closing the app. Go through the import steps again from the beginning.
Someone in a Telegram group or Discord DM says they can help you sync — and asks for your seed phrase That is a phishing attack. Zelcore support will never ask for your seed phrase, password, or private keys. Close the conversation and report it. Fake support impersonators, lookalike websites, and fraudulent giveaway accounts are the primary threat vector for crypto users. If you're unsure whether a site is genuine, check zelcore.io directly — do not follow links from DMs.
You lost your seed phrase before setting up the second device If your seed phrase is gone and your original device is also gone, your funds are permanently inaccessible. There is no server-side backup and no account recovery path. This is the non-negotiable cost of self-custody. Protect your written seed phrase accordingly.
One device at a time, the same way every time
Every platform — Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, browser extension — goes through exactly this flow. The seed phrase is both the synchronisation key and the only recovery path. Keep it safe, keep it offline, and the same words will restore your wallet on any device, anywhere, forever.
