<p><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.schildbach.wallet" rel="nofollow">Bitcoin Wallet</a></p>

<p><a href="http://electrum.org/android.html" rel="nofollow">Electrum</a></p>

<p><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miracleas.bitcoin_spinner" rel="nofollow">BitcoinSpinner</a></p>

<p>All of the above mentioned store the wallet file locally on your phone</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-04-30T12:21:27.980Z
2013-04-30T12:21:27.980Z
rdymac
<p>Technically there is no reason you can't have a wallet on an iOS device, but it appears (according to <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmatonis/2012/06/13/why-apple-is-afraid-of-bitcoin/" rel="nofollow">this article</a>) that Apple isn't allowing Bitcoin wallets into the App Store.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-04-30T13:36:39.120Z
2013-04-30T13:36:39.120Z
David Ogren
<p>I don't think so. As long as the blockchain is safely elsewhere, a client like <a href="http://electrum.org/" rel="nofollow">Electrum</a> (which locally stores the wallet and uses a seed, but trusts an external server for the blockchain) should work.</p>

<p>Note that there may be issues in joining a local P2P network since mobile networks don't work that way. However, there should be nothing preventing a mobile device from joining a node on the larger network (For example one of <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Fallback_Nodes" rel="nofollow">these</a>).</p>

<p>I guess that nobody has really seen a market here, that's all.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-04-30T12:08:39.297Z
2013-04-30T12:08:39.297Z
Manishearth
<p>From what I understand, both the CoinBase and BlockChain iOS apps store your wallet on their servers.   There doesn't seem to be any iOS app (or perhaps Android either) which stores your wallet locally on the mobile device.</p>

<p>I understand why it may be impractical to download and store the multi-GB <em>blockchain</em> locally on the device but the <em>wallet</em> is usually very small.  I understand that by storing the wallet locally you risk losing your coins if your phone is lost or stolen but that could be mitigated by offering features to encrypt your wallet with a passphrase and also back it up over USB to your computer (or choose to assume the risk of loss).</p>

<p>Is there some technical reason why a mobile app can't be developed that stores the wallet locally (and obviously does not transmit it to the server) but stores the blockchain on the server?</p>

<mobile><architecture>
mobile app which stores wallet locally
RentFree
# mobile app which stores wallet locally

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-04-30)

From what I understand, both the CoinBase and BlockChain iOS apps store your wallet on their servers. There doesn't seem to be any iOS app (or perhaps Android either) which stores your wallet locally on the mobile device.

I understand why it may be impractical to download and store the multi-GB *blockchain* locally on the device but the *wallet* is usually very small. I understand that by storing the wallet locally you risk losing your coins if your phone is lost or stolen but that could be mitigated by offering features to encrypt your wallet with a passphrase and also back it up over USB to your computer (or choose to assume the risk of loss).

Is there some technical reason why a mobile app can't be developed that stores the wallet locally (and obviously does not transmit it to the server) but stores the blockchain on the server?

**Tags:** mobile, architecture


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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-04-30. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

[Bitcoin Wallet](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.schildbach.wallet)

[Electrum](http://electrum.org/android.html)

[BitcoinSpinner](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miracleas.bitcoin_spinner)

All of the above mentioned store the wallet file locally on your phone


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### Answer by username_2 on 2013-04-30. Score: 1

Technically there is no reason you can't have a wallet on an iOS device, but it appears (according to [this article](http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmatonis/2012/06/13/why-apple-is-afraid-of-bitcoin/)) that Apple isn't allowing Bitcoin wallets into the App Store.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2013-04-30. Score: 0

I don't think so. As long as the blockchain is safely elsewhere, a client like [Electrum](http://electrum.org/) (which locally stores the wallet and uses a seed, but trusts an external server for the blockchain) should work.

Note that there may be issues in joining a local P2P network since mobile networks don't work that way. However, there should be nothing preventing a mobile device from joining a node on the larger network (For example one of [these](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Fallback_Nodes)).

I guess that nobody has really seen a market here, that's all.


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