Wallet apps after a death

Wallet apps (MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Exodus, Coinbase Wallet, BlueWallet and many others) are how most people hold crypto today. After a death, the app itself is usually not the problem; the device it lives on and the seed behind it are what matter.

What wallet apps actually are

• They are software on a phone, tablet, laptop or browser extension.
• What they protect is the app’s seed phrase and the passwords protecting the app or its backups, the same secret material as any other wallet.
• Some apps also connect to exchange accounts or act as browsers for DeFi, which adds other layers. See exchange or self-custody.

What finding one means

An app on a device is strong evidence that crypto existed. The app can usually be restored from its seed phrase on any device, which is why the seed, not the app, is the asset. See what is a seed phrase.

What to preserve

• The device itself. Do not charge it carelessly, do not let it update or sync, and do not unlock it repeatedly. Phones and computers are covered in old computer or phone with a wallet.
• Browser extensions. The browser profile matters; preserve it as found.
• Backup material. Some apps offer cloud backups of seeds (iCloud, Google Drive). A seed stored in the cloud is secret material in a third party’s hands, note that it exists, and never photograph or send it.
• 2FA. The app may sit behind an authenticator or backup codes. See 2FA and wallet access after a death.

What to do with it

• The app is not the funds, the seed phrase behind it is. Access is the seed phrase (and sometimes the app’s own password to show the wallet).
• When the estate is ready: the wallet can be restored on a new device with the seed phrase, in compatible software. The found device is a starting point, not the wallet itself.
• The classic mistake: unlocking the found device carelessly, letting it sync or update, or assuming the app itself is the asset.
• If the seed is missing: read what is realistically possible in wallet recovery.
• Until authority is confirmed, preserve the device and do not unlock it repeatedly.

The app is gone, are the funds gone too?

No. The app is not the wallet: the seed phrase (and passphrase, if one was set) restores the wallet in compatible software, even when the original app is discontinued. This is why the phrase matters more than the app. If the app no longer exists and the phrase is missing, read what is realistically possible in wallet recovery.

If the app no longer exists, do not download it from random websites or app stores, fake versions of discontinued wallets are common. Restore the wallet with compatible software you can verify, or with someone who knows what they are doing.

What happens next

1. Identify which apps exist and what they protect, the general flow is in what did you find.
2. Preserve devices and record only that the apps exist.
3. Confirm legal authority before anything is opened, see legal authority vs technical access.

For the full index of formats, see the wallet format library.