Upgrade FAQ

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What should I do if my firmware upgrade fails?

The firmware upgrade mechanism of SafePal hardware wallet enables user to be updated with the latest SafePal product features and new blockchian integrations. To properly upgrade your SafePal Hardware Wallet, there are a few key takeaways to pay attention to in order to avoid upgrade failures.

1. Make sure the firmware name is kept as 'upgrade.bin' instead of other names

If you have downloaded the SafePal upgrade firmware before, the firmware file stored in your computer could be named as 'upgrade.bin(1)' or 'upgrade.bin(2)'. Don't forget to rename the file as 'Upgrade.bin' in order for the hardware wallet device to detect it properly.

2. Don't forget to click 'Enter Upgrade Mode' on the SafePal Hardware Wallet

On the SafePal Hardware Wallet, you will have to manually click the 'Enter Upgrade Mode' in order to initialize the upgrade program inside the device.

3. Do not open the firmware file. Drag it into the virtual disk instead

A lot of users might have mistakenly opened the firmware file during the upgrade, which actually isn't a necessary action. For the wallet device to detect the firmware, simply drag the firmware file into the virtual disk popping up in your computer.

To learn more about SafePal firmware upgrade, read here:

pageFirmware UpgradepageFirmware security

How to check if my firmware and App is the latest one?

The latest SafePal S1 firmware version and App version can be found in the ‘Upgrade’ and ‘Download’ tab of the SafePal homepage.

How to check my SafePal App version and my device SN and firmware version?

App version (Open SafePal App-->Setting-->About )

Firmware version and SN code( Open SafePal wallet-->Settings-->About)

Why isn't my computer showing the virtual disk when I plug in the S1 device?

There could be several reasons causing this issue:

1) The device didn't enter Upgrade Mode and thus cannot be detected by the computer. Please make sure that you have manually clicked the 'Enter Upgrade Mode' button on the device so that the S1 device can be recognized as a virtual disk on the computer.

2) The USB connection doesn't get through. Please check your USB cable and USB port on the computer and make sure they function properly. If you are not sure about this, you can change another USB cable or USB port to try again. If both methods don't work, please film a video of the upgrade process and email to [e-mail], our support team will help to locate the problem as soon as possible.

How do I know the firmware is a genuine one?

Firstly, it is important to make sure any compromised or fake firmware cannot be correctly upgraded into a SafePal wallet. Inside SafePal S1 wallet, there implements a firmware verification mechanism that identifies and authenticate every firmware that is uploaded.

For each SafePal firmware version, there will be a unique ID tagged to it. This unique ID is created based on the SHA-256 algorithm, an advanced cryptographic hash function used for data authentications. (Click to learn about What is SHA-256?)

If you are still concerned with the authenticity of the downloaded firmware, here is the suggestion to further verify the firmware reliability:

1.Download or search for an SHA-256 hashing tool.

2.Drag the firmware file into the tool obtained from the previous step. Then there will be an SHA-256 ID created for this firmware.

3.Please carefully check if this ID is identical with the one shown on above. If yes, it proves that the firmware is genuine, and you can proceed with the upgrade procedure.

How do I tell if I need an upgrade in my SafePal wallet?

To tell whether your firmware version is an old one, please open S1 hardware wallet, go to “Settings”--“About” to check the current version.

If it’s an old one compared to the one shown on the Homepage, then you might need to read more about the “New features” of the new firmware or you can firstly check ‘what happens between my version and the latest version’ from our Changelog to decide whether you want to upgrade or not.

We recommend to regularly upgrade in order to onboard new currencies and features.

What happens if I don’t upgrade the wallet?

The SafePal firmware upgrade is not mandatory. It is up to every user to decide whether they need an upgrade or not. It will not impact any of the user experience if you decide not to upgrade.

However, We will still recommend upgrading in order to on-board some important security features and currencies.

• Check here to confirm the App and firmware version.

• Click "Changelog" to see whatmilestones we have made when you are not here.

• Click here to download and upgrade the latest version.

Why did I upgrade from V1.0.9 to V1.0.12 need to restore the mnemonic phrase, and now I don’t need it after I upgraded to V1.0.13?

Thanks for asking. From V1.0.13, we optimized the upgrade user flow, enabling users, after a firmware upgrade, to directly use the wallet without recovering it by typing the long and complex mnemonic phrase. This could provide much better user experience and save users' effort.

If you are upgrading from an older version(below V1.0.12) to a new version(above V1.0.13), you will be asked to recover the wallet. But after that, you won't need to recover the wallet after upgrading the firmware anymore.

Though we cancelled the recovery after an upgrade after V1.0.13, users will still need to verify PIN code after an upgrade. So the security is not compromised in any aspect.

Can SafePal support firmware upgrade via mobile phone, rather than PC?

For now, SafePal only supports firmware upgrade from PC, instead of cellphone. Users will need to upgrade SafePal S1 firmware on the laptop or computers.

The reason for this is that the operational systems and ports used by mobile phones on the market are very diversified and differentiated. Though from a technical point of view, it indeed is feasible to conduct a firmware upgrade by using a mobile phone, the compatibility is difficult to balance and achieve. Till this point, firmware upgrade via PC is the most compatible and easiest way for most users.