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Envoy version 2.1.0 is now available!

Posted on October 20, 2025 - 9:47 am by

The latest version of Envoy – 2.1.0– is now published on all your favorite mobile platforms! To download it, simply visit our download page or check for updates on your platform of choice.

Please note that there can be a significant lag from publishing to general availability due to Apple App Store and Google Play Store review policies and delays.

What’s changed

In Envoy v2.1.0 we squashed a lot of bugs so we encourage all our users to update to have a more smooth and solid Envoy experience. Since Magic Backups have also been improved, we encourage everyone to perform a Magic Backup after the upgrade!

For more details on each of the changes, keep reading below!

Improvements

  • Improved the Magic Backup restoring flow – if the user changes any privacy settings during onboarding, these will prevail over those defined in the Magic Backup file
  • Improved the Personal Node selection. Previously, if you defined a Personal Node, then changed to a predefined node, then back to Personal Node, the field was overwritten by the predefined node’s address. This behavior has been updated so that the Personal Node saved remains there even when you return from a predefined node.
  • Major upgrade to Flutter to version 3.35.1
  • The Personal Node is now saved to the Magic Backup, so make sure to update and perform a magic backup again to save this setting!
  • Added warnings for users that last paired their accounts before Passport Core v2.3.0, and want to either enable Taproot by default, access the taproot descriptor, or show a taproot receive address
  • Improved the fee display for Canceling transactions for users with very big text size
  • Updated multiple repositories and dependencies
  • Added tor endpoints for signet, so users that use tor should enjoy a more stable connection while using signet
  • Moving forward, user preference will be remembered between transactions in terms of send unit. Previously it would always default to BTC or Sats depending on app setting.
  • Added the Explorer option to the transaction ID for the Coin Details view

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a scenario where Magic Backups could be corrupted while being restored
  • Fixed a bug where sometimes an “Insufficient Funds” error could show up despite there being enough unlocked and confirmed coins
  • Fixed an edge case where sometimes two hot wallets could be created instead of one
  • Fixed an issue where tor would not be loaded on first app startup, and added checks to make sure tor is bootstrapped before attempting a connection to a node
  • Fixed a couple of issues that could error or show 0 send amount when scanning an all caps address
  • Fixed a visual bug where sometimes the fee would be displayed as 0 when accessing the transaction details
  • Fixed an issue where for some users the option to hide the Buy feature would not show up in settings -> advanced
  • Fixed a bug where under some scenario self-sends couldn’t be boosted while using Passport
  • Fixed a rare bug where sometimes a hot wallet would be created but the seed would not be displayed
  • Fixed a minor visual spacing issue when selecting a Tag
  • Fixed an issue where users with big text sizes couldn’t save a transaction’s notes
  • Fixed an issue where Envoy would attempt to redeem a Lightning Network BTCPay voucher instead of throwing an error
  • Fixed an issue where sometimes iOS users wouldn’t be able to delete an account that was still loading balance
  • Fixed a minor visual bug that would not provide visual feedback to the user when entering an incorrect seed
  • Fixed the date of the Envoy new version notifications to display the actual date of release, instead of the day the user connected to the internet and saw it
  • Fixed a visual bug where sometimes the red shield would not show up even if tor connection dropped
  • Fixed a bug where for some users Envoy could remain blurred even after unlocking the app
  • Fixed an issue where tor would sometimes not temporarily disable after explicitly asking it to do so
  • Fixed an issue where sometimes the PIN couldn’t be entered after faceID failed for iOS users
  • Fixed an issue where sometimes if the user performed multiple back to back transactions, some of them would not be logged in the Activity tab
  • Fixed a minor bug where the default Note for BTCPay transaction wouldn’t be pre-populated
  • Fixed a bug where after performing a migration a user could get stuck in the send screen because the “Send Max” option wouldn’t disappear
  • Fixed a visual bug where the confirmation time wouldn’t update as soon as the user changed fee rate in the transaction review screen
  • Overall improvements in the onboarding flow and other minor visual tweaks

Verifying Envoy on Android

If you’d like to take the optional additional step of verifying Envoy binaries on Android, follow our guide: Verifying Envoy on Android

Passport Prime Security Audit

Posted on October 16, 2025 - 9:59 am by

Our approach to security has always been consistent: build with care, and invite open verification. Before Passport Prime ships, we commissioned a full third-party security audit and made the results publicly available for anyone to review.

We took the same approach with Passport Core, which was also independently audited. The earlier audit set the precedent for how we handle security at Foundation: by opening our devices to outside scrutiny before they reach users, and by publishing the results in full. Passport Prime continues this same commitment, proving that transparency isn’t a one-time exercise, but an ongoing standard for every product we build.

Today, we’re outlining what was tested, what was discovered, how we addressed it, and where you can explore all the details for yourself.

 

Who Conducted the Audit — and What They Tested

The audit was performed by Keylabs (Nedos Consulting EMEA FZ-LLC), a specialist security firm focused on wallet technologies, embedded device audits, and secure storage systems.

Their team includes researchers known in the hardware wallet security community, including involvement in the wallet.fail presentation, which exposed vulnerabilities in wallets like Ledger and Trezor. With a track record of finding real flaws in the hardware wallet industry, Keylabs approached Passport Prime with the same rigor, giving us confidence that the evaluation reflected genuine attack scenarios and industry-leading standards.

The audit examined every layer of Passport Prime. From hardware and firmware to system architecture, to assess its resilience against real-world attack scenarios:

  • Threat modeling & architecture
    • Keylabs defined likely adversaries and reviewed how Passport Prime’s layered design is intended to protect against them, validating that the architecture aligns with our security goals.
  • Firmware review
    • They examined PIN authentication, key handling, memory clearing, secure boot behavior, and many other aspects.
  • Hardware testing
    • They evaluated components such as the ATECC608C secure element, SECURAM volatile memory, tamper detection, and PCB layout, including the accessibility of debug/test interfaces.
  • Physical attack considerations
    • The team assessed side-channel considerations, fault-injection feasibility, and what a skilled attacker with direct device access might realistically attempt.

This overview is only a snapshot of what was audited. The full report below goes much deeper and covers every component and process in detail.

 

Results Summary

No critical or high-severity vulnerabilities were found. All observations were low severity, requiring physical access and advanced tooling to attempt exploitation.

Keylabs concluded:

“The overall architecture demonstrates exceptional security design principles and sophisticated implementation.”

and further:

“The proactive approach to security demonstrates Foundation’s dedication to transparency and continuous security improvement. This results in a highly secure hardware wallet architecture that exceeds industry standards for protecting users’ digital assets.”

The findings themselves were focused on best-practice hardening recommendations:

  • Randomizing PIN verification timing to reduce side-channel risk.
  • Clearing memory more aggressively after failed attempts and on boot.
  • Ensuring Shamir shares are wiped immediately after use.
  • Zeroing SECURAM when PIN retries are exhausted.
  • Reducing exposure of non-essential debug pads on the PCB in future hardware revisions.

These are refinements rather than structural flaws, and all have already been addressed.

 

Our Response

We treated every observation from the audit as an opportunity to strengthen Passport Prime before it ships.

  • PIN verification — we implemented changes to add timing randomization and mitigate side-channel analysis.
  • Memory clearing — firmware was updated to ensure more aggressive zeroization on boot and after failed PIN attempts.
  • Shamir shares — handling was improved to guarantee that temporary shares are securely wiped immediately after use.
  • SECURAM behavior — logic was updated so volatile memory is cleared when PIN retries are exhausted.
  • Debug/test pads — while already hidden and protected by tamper detection, future hardware revisions will reduce or eliminate exposure further.

Our goal isn’t to pass an audit once, but to keep raising the bar. A complete, detailed breakdown of how we addressed each point is provided in our official response below.

 

Full Report & Response

Both documents are available in full and open for public review

 

Closing Thoughts

Security is never “finished.” What matters is building systems that can evolve, improve, and stand up to constant inspection. Every observation has been addressed or planned for, and publishing the results ensures anyone can examine the process for themselves.

We are proud of these results. The audit confirmed that Passport Prime’s architecture is not only resilient, but in the words of the auditors demonstrates “exceptional security design principles” and “a highly secure architecture that exceeds industry standards.”

As Passport Prime begins shipping, this audit is an important step in our commitment to transparency and verifiable security. It confirms what we’ve built: not just another hardware wallet, but a security platform whose architecture has been recognized as exceptional, sophisticated, and ahead of industry standards.

Envoy version 2.0.2 is now available

Posted on August 14, 2025 - 8:03 am by

The latest version of Envoy – 2.0.2 – is now published on all your favorite mobile platforms! To download it, simply visit our download page or check for updates on your platform of choice.

Please note that there can be a significant lag from publishing to general availability due to Apple App Store and Google Play Store review policies and delays.

What’s changed

Envoy 2.0.2 is a bugfix release addressing some edge case scenarios and uncommon bugs.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue where a small subset of Passport passphrase users experienced duplicated accounts during the upgrade from 1.8.6 to 2.0.1.

  • Updated the migration screen to not rely on syncing accounts, so that users with networking issues can quickly update to the 2.0.0+ database structure and then address their networking issues. This will resolve instances where some users were stuck in the migration screen.

  • Fixed various tor-related issues. Arti has also been updated to the latest version to help stabilize connections. 

  • Fixed an issue that could cause some users not being able to connect to their nodes locally.

  • Envoy will now force a re-sync when upgrading to 2.0.2, so the balance will be refreshed and updated to its current value.

  • Fixed a small typo in the personal node section and updated some of the options.

  • Fixed a bug where if users scanned a Passport 2.3.8 pairing QR with their phone camera app, the paired account may not be synced to Envoy.

  • Fixed some rare issues related to Envoy’s hot wallet occasionally disappearing or missing a taproot descriptor.

  • Fixed an issue related to the Buy Bitcoin button showing up in countries it shouldn’t.

  • Fixed a visual glitch where canceling a coin selection would sometimes result in some options not showing.

  • Fixed an issue where users with multiple tags couldn’t scroll through them when reviewing coin selection.

  • Fixed some “learn more” hyperlinks.

  • Fixed a bug that prevented some Passport accounts from being exported in the BIP-329 file.

Verifying Envoy on Android

If you’d like to take the optional additional step of verifying Envoy binaries on Android, follow our guide: Verifying Envoy on Android

Passport Version 2.3.8 is Now Live!

Posted on July 23, 2025 - 12:14 pm by

We’re excited to announce that the latest version of Passport firmware – 2.3.8 – is now live! To download it, simply initiate the update from Envoy to be guided through the process.

WHAT’S CHANGED

For more details on each of the changes, keep reading below!

IMPROVEMENTS

  • Onboarding updated for Envoy 2.0 compatibility

  • Added a black splash screen for Stealth units

BUG FIXES

  • Fixed signing error when consolidating SegWit into Taproot addresses

  • Fixed a non-user-facing issue where the keypad test was not functional upon provisioning new devices in the factory

VERIFYING, REPRODUCING, AND INSTALLING PASSPORT FIRMWARE

If you’d like to verify and install the latest version of Passport manually, you can follow our guide on the topic here: Firmware Update support page

If you’d like to take the additional step of testing the reproducibility of Passport’s firmware, you can follow our guide on the topic here: Reproducibility Guide.

Envoy version 2.0.1 is now available

Posted on July 21, 2025 - 11:06 am by

The latest version of Envoy – 2.0.1– is now published on all your favorite mobile platforms! To download it, simply visit our download page or check for updates on your platform of choice.

Please note that there can be a significant lag from publishing to general availability due to Apple App Store and Google Play Store review policies and delays.

🛠 v2.0.1 Fixes:

  • After releasing Envoy 2.0.0, some users reported seeing an unexpected prompt asking for Bluetooth permission. While v2.0.0 did introduce Bluetooth support for QuantumLink on Passport Prime, this prompt should not have appeared for users who weren’t pairing a Prime device.
  • Fixed a visual bug when displaying a descriptor after enabling Taproot

What’s changed

Important upgrade to BDK 2.0 – on first startup, all your accounts will re-sync due to changes in the database format. This will occur automatically when you open the updated app for the first time.

In addition to the updates described below, Envoy 2.0.0 adds initial support for Passport Prime, including QuantumLink Bluetooth connectivity and the device onboarding flow.

For more details on each of the changes, keep reading!

New Features

  • Completely updated the onboarding flow to be easier and intuitive. It streamlines the onboarding process for non-technical users while keeping all the advanced features accessible to power users.
  • Unified Taproot and SegWit accounts! Taproot addresses will no longer live in a separate account tile – one account will now be able to have both address types. Head to Advanced Settings to change the default script to be displayed when tapping Receive. If you had a Taproot and a SegWit tile for the same account, they will be merged during the upgrade process, and they will keep the tags they had before upgrading. You will also now be able to choose the type of script to export in the descriptor.
  • You can now export your wallet metadata in BIP-329 format! This will save your Notes and Tags in a way that you can easily import them in other software wallets, like Sparrow. Head to Advanced backups under Backups in the app menu to find this option.
  • Manual to Magic (and vice versa) is here! Manual users can now go to the Backups menu and opt in to Magic backups. Likewise, Magic Backup users can go to the Backups menu and disable the toggle to become manual users – the Magic Backup will be deleted from our servers.
  • Tapping an item in Activity now opens the relevant event associated to it! So if you tap in a transaction, for example, it opens the transaction details directly in the Activity view.
  • Brand new currency selector: Over 160 new fiat pairs now available in Envoy! Be sure to head to settings and change the fiat value to the one you want to use. Hint: You can now search for the currency name or code.
  • Added new Electrum backend options! If you don’t use your own node and you don’t want to use Foundation’s node for transaction relaying and checking balance, you can now connect to some other well-established nodes. Head over to the Privacy tab and check the dropdown under Node.
  • Envoy now upgraded from using testnet3 to testnet4 and from Mutinynet Signet to Global Signet. Upon upgrading, you will be notified that the accounts in the old networks have been deleted – you will need to go to settings and re-enable testnet or signet to start working on the new networks.

Improvements

  • Upgraded from BDK 0.28 to BDK 2.0!! This is a MAJOR update. The app now streamlines most processes in parallel, numerous interactions have been rewritten, and the results are great! Expect reduced loading times across the board, a smoother experience, reduced sync times, and fewer bugs.
  • Redesigned the way RBF fees are displayed to make it clear how much the user is paying and how much it is replacing. When doing an RBF, tap the “i” icon next to the new “Boost fee” field displayed in the transaction review screen to clearly understand the fee structure
  • Envoy will now ask you to re-authenticate if you had the lock privacy feature enabled after the app has entered the background.
  • Increased the note character limit to match the spec of BIP 329.
  • Visual refresh to the main menu, as well as to the Backups menu.
  • Added screen and logic to require app update should an urgent vulnerability come up in the future.
  • Tapping “Receive” now shows the next unused address, instead of changing every time irrespective of wallet activity.
  • Updated Arti to 1.4.3.
  • Updated Flutter to 3.27.1.
  • Standardized and localized messages across the board for Ramp, BTCPay, and Azteco purchases.
  • Improved the behavior of “Cancel Transaction” and improved the way edge case errors are handled.
  • Tapping “Send max” will now display all the trailing zeroes when using BTC as a unit for easier visualization of quantity being sent.
  • Improved logging for Magic Backup and networking issues for easier troubleshooting.
  • Added a low-res map for when the ATM map API can’t be loaded in the Buy area.
  • The “learn more” hyperlinks will now link to the specific area dedicated to them in our documentation, instead of linking to the more generic page.
  • Using Android’s gesture on the side of the phone will now unselect coins if you are doing coin control.
  • Improved translations.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug that impacted iOS users where the file picker would not come up if you mistakenly saved the update file in a location other than the SD card once before.
  • Fixed a bug that impacted iOS users where sometimes the red dot alerting of a new firmware version would persist even after downloading the latest version.
  • Fixed an issue that would show a different date for transactions on-chain and into Envoy.
  • Fixed an issue where some transactions would still show as pending even though they were confirmed on-chain.
  • Fixed several minor scrolling and scaling issues for users with large font sizes.
  • Fixed a minor issue where notes added to boosted Passport transactions or Ramp purchases would not be properly saved.
  • Fixed a minor UI issue where incoming txs would at times show as “Boosted”.
  • Fixed a minor issue where deselecting coins during “Edit Transaction” would not refresh the actual transaction.
  • Fixed a minor issue where some countries would not show in alphabetical order when selecting region in the “Buy” menu.
  • Fixed an edge case bug where importing an incorrect backup file multiple times in a row could sometimes yield in an unresponsive screen.
  • Added an alert icon in a dialog that was missing it when deleting a passport account.
  • Fixed a minor bug where killing the app while selecting a country allowed a user to select a region belonging to a different country in the Buy region selection.
  • Gracefully handle an error when opening a specific type of unsupported link, instead of showing an off-spec error message.
  • Tapping the decimal point straight away in the send screen works now without having to tap “0” first.
  • Fixed a minor bug where pairing an old passport would not display the red dot alerting of new versions on a fresh Envoy install.
  • Fixed a minor issue where the user would be warned about emptying their wallet when trying to delete an already empty wallet.
  • Minor visual and flow improvements across the board.
  • Hardened the code overall by updating some libraries with known edge case vulnerabilities.

Verifying Envoy on Android

If you’d like to take the optional additional step of verifying Envoy binaries on Android, follow our guide: Verifying Envoy on Android

Magic Backups: How Do They Work?

Posted on July 10, 2025 - 11:20 am by

Losing access to a wallet or device doesn’t need to mean panic. We’ve built Magic Backups into both Envoy and Passport Prime to make backup and recovery seamless, without compromising on privacy. No accounts. No emails, and most importantly, no access to your seed or data by Foundation. Ever. Just strong encryption, smart design, and a bit of cryptographic magic.

Let’s walk through what makes our backups so Magic.

🔐 Magic Backups in Envoy

When you set up an Envoy mobile wallet, it generates a Bitcoin seed and stores it securely in your phone’s secure element, a hardware-protected environment isolated from apps and the operating system.

From there, Magic Backup kicks in behind the scenes to keep your wallet recoverable.

📁 What We Actually Store (and what we don’t)

When Magic Backup is enabled in Envoy, the app automatically creates a secure, encrypted backup of your wallet’s non-sensitive data, things like account labels and settings, so you can restore your wallet exactly how you left it. This backup is created and stored in a way that keeps your seed and personal information completely private.

Here’s exactly what happens when that backup is created:

  • Secure seed sync via Apple or Google

Most users have iCloud Keychain or Android Auto-Backup enabled. This means your encrypted seed, stored in the secure element, is automatically backed up across your devices, fully end-to-end encrypted by your operating system.

✅  Foundation never sees your iCloud or Google account, never sees your seed, and doesn’t need permission to back it up.

  • Encryption with your seed: Your Envoy settings, labels, and connected Passport accounts (if you have any) are encrypted using your mobile wallet seed as the encryption key. This means only someone with access to your seed can decrypt the backup.
  • Stored as a secure file: The encrypted backup file is uploaded to Foundation’s servers as a file of data. We have no access to the contents, no ability to decrypt it, and no knowledge of what’s inside.
  • Private identifier: To allow Envoy to retrieve your backup later, your encrypted metadata is stored alongside a SHA256 hash of your mobile wallet seed. This lets our server verify that a restore request is legitimate without ever knowing your actual seed.

🔄 Recovery in Seconds

If you ever lose your phone or reinstall Envoy, getting your wallet back is quick and effortless:

  1. Make sure you’re signed in to your Apple or Google account.
  2. Install Envoy and create a new mobile wallet.
  3. Set up with Magic Backups.
  4. Done, your wallet is automatically restored!

👩🏻‍💻 What’s Happening Behind the Scenes

Here’s how Magic Backup works in the background:

  1. Envoy checks the secure element on your phone to see if a mobile wallet seed already exists.
    a) If it finds one, it creates a SHA256 hash of the seed (like a digital fingerprint) and sends it to Foundation’s servers.
    b) This hash proves you know the seed, but doesn’t reveal the seed itself.
  2. If no seed is in the SE, Envoy checks your device’s iCloud Keychain or Android Auto-Backup and restores the seed to the secure element.
    a) It then hashes the newly restored seed and sends that hash to the server.
  3. Our server uses the hash to verify that the request is legitimate. If it matches a stored record, the server sends back your encrypted backup file.
  4. Envoy then uses the seed it has stored on the phone to decrypt the backup file directly on your device, restoring your wallet settings, labels, and preferences, exactly how you left them.

🔐 Why It’s Secure

  • Your seed is never sent to our servers.
  • Your backup is encrypted before it ever leaves your phone.
  • We store only a blind, encrypted file and a hash, nothing identifiable.
  • Only you can decrypt your data, and only with your seed.

🎬 Ready to see the magic for yourself?

We’ve made setting up Magic Backups in Envoy as smooth as it gets, but seeing is believing.

Watch our step-by-step tutorial below and get set up in minutes.

 

🛡️ Magic Backups in Passport Prime

 

We’ve seen how Magic Backups in Envoy make recovering your mobile wallet effortless, with your seed secured by your device, backed up to your cloud and your settings backed up as an encrypted file.

Passport Prime takes that to a whole new level, as a personal security platform, it protects not only Bitcoin, but also 2FA credentials, encrypted files, security keys, extra seeds and more.

Magic Backups work differently here, and it’s important to note:

🔁 Passport Prime and Envoy each have their own separate Magic Backups.

  • Envoy Magic Backup secures your mobile wallet seed and app data.
  • Prime Magic Backup securely stores your Passport Prime app data and part of your Master key.
  • These are two distinct encrypted files, stored on the Foundation server.

🔐 How Your Master Key Is Secured with Passport Prime

When you set up Passport Prime, your Master key isn’t just stored in one place, and you’re never asked to write it down, but you can, of course, choose to do so by retrieving your seed words from the Backups screen.

By default, Prime uses a secure, privacy-preserving system called Shamir Secret Sharing to split your seed into three parts:

  • The first part is saved onto the NFC Keycard
  • The second part is saved onto the NFC Keycard
  • The third part is encrypted and securely stored on your phone’s secure element and backed up to iCloud Keychain, just like the Envoy seed

You only need any two of the three parts to fully recover your Master Key.

This approach gives you the redundancy to lose a card or your phone and still recover, without ever exposing your complete master key to a single location.

🧩 Envoy’s Role in Prime’s Recovery

When you set up Passport Prime, the device doesn’t just split your master key; it also prepares a secure backup of your Prime-specific app settings and data. These actions are initiated by Prime and securely transmitted to Envoy using QuantumLink our end-to-end encrypted Bluetooth tunnel.

Want to know how it works? Learn more about QuantumLink here.

Here’s how it works:

  • Prime creates a dedicated Prime Magic Backup file containing your app settings and data (like account labels and configuration data). This file does not contain your master key.
  • Prime also securely sends one of the three Shamir master key parts to Envoy as part of the 2-of-3 backup system.
  • The Magic Backup file is encrypted using a key derived from your master key in Prime (which is only reconstructed during recovery).
  • Prime sends the encrypted backup and associated metadata to Envoy via QuantumLink.
  • Envoy then uploads the encrypted file to Foundation’s servers, and includes a cryptographic hash of the master key, allowing the server to recognize the backup without learning anything sensitive.

🛑 Reminder: This backup is completely separate from the Magic Backup for your Envoy mobile wallet. Each product manages its own backup file, using its own encryption.

Just like with Envoy’s mobile wallet backups, the master key never leaves Passport Prime also:

  • Foundation can’t see your master key.
  • Foundation can’t see your data.

🔁 Restoring Passport Prime

If your Passport Prime is ever lost, reset, or replaced, recovery is quick without needing to re-enter your master key.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Power up a new Passport Prime and connect it to Envoy.
  2. Tap one of your NFC Keycards to the device.
  3. Passport Prime receives both the Keycard’s part and the part stored in Envoy, then reconstructs the master key locally on Prime.
  4. Prime then requests your Prime Magic Backup from Foundation’s servers via Envoy, using a cryptographic hash of the master key to identify it.
  5. Once received, Prime decrypts the backup locally, restoring your account labels and settings.

💡 If the part stored in Envoy is missing or unavailable, you can still recover your Prime wallet using both NFC Keycards. Passport Prime accepts any two of the three Shamir parts, even if one part is lost.

🔚 Bitcoin and Beyond.

Magic Backups were built with one goal in mind: to make backup and recovery easy, seamless, and so private that you never have to think about it, until you need it.

Whether you’re backing up Bitcoin on Envoy, or securing your 2FA credentials and sensitive data with Passport Prime, the process is the same:

  • Your data is encrypted before it ever leaves your device.
  • Foundation never sees your keys or your settings.
  • Recovery is in your hands, always.

Just simple, private, self-sovereign recovery, across your entire digital life.

Bitcoin, Simplified. Security, Upgraded.

 

Passport is now Passport Core

Posted on March 17, 2025 - 2:10 pm by

Five years ago, we started Foundation to build tools that empower you to take full control of your wealth, security, and privacy. From day one, we knew that hardware wallets needed to evolve – self-custody should be easy to use, intuitive, open-source, and secure without compromises.

We introduced our first generation Passport hardware wallet in mid 2020 and have been building ever since. Today, with many thousands of users and a growing suite of devices, we are excited to announce that Passport is now called ‘Passport Core’ and will live alongside our upcoming Passport Prime. And – by overwhelming customer demand – we’re introducing an exclusive Stealth colorway for Passport Core!

Stealth colorway Passport Core is now available to order, and begins shipping in six weeks. Please note that the Classic colorway is sold out due to overwhelming demand.

Passport Founder’s Edition: A Bold First Step

As Bitcoin adoption surged, we asked an important question: how will people secure their coins? Will they trust third-party custodians, or will they embrace self-sovereignty?

In 2020, existing hardware wallets made too many compromises – closed-source firmware, frustrating user interfaces, and security models that weren’t designed for the next generation of Bitcoiners. We knew the future demanded something better.

That’s why we built Passport Founder’s Edition. An elegant, open-source hardware wallet designed with sovereignty in mind. This first batch quickly sold out, proving that people were ready for a superior alternative.

What Made Founder’s Edition Special?

  • Premium materials. A soft-touch plastic shell with a durable copper-plated zinc alloy frame.
  • Intuitive design. A large screen with physical navigation pads and an alphanumeric keypad for seamless operation.
  • Airgapped security. No USB, no Bluetooth, no wireless, only microSD and QR code transactions.
  • Fully open source. Built with transparency, leveraging a battle-tested security architecture.
  • Proudly assembled in the USA. Enabling us to be physically present to ensure security and quality standards.

The response was overwhelming, reinforcing our belief that Bitcoiners desired better tools. But this was just only the beginning.

Passport → Passport Core

As you know it today, Passport is now renamed to Passport Core. We believe it deserves its own identity as the #1-rated Bitcoin hardware wallet, offered alongside our newest Passport Prime device.

After the success of the Passport Founder’s Edition, we didn’t just sit back – we listened! We gathered feedback from early adopters and the broader Bitcoin community to understand what worked, what could be improved, and how we could refine Passport to make it even better.

One of the biggest challenges we faced was balancing top-tier security with accessibility. While the Founder’s Edition was a hit, we knew that continued Bitcoin adoption required a hardware wallet that was just as powerful, but even easier to use, more affordable, and more refined. So we introduced a second-generation Passport model originally referred to as Passport Batch 2.

Key Upgrades in Passport Core (previously ‘Batch 2’)

  • More accessible pricing. We optimized production without compromising security and updated the electromechanical design, making Passport available for just $199 at launch – bringing self-custody to even more people.
  • A refined, slimmer design. Nearly 20% thinner than Passport Founder’s Edition, improving ergonomics while maintaining its robust construction.
  • Upgraded power system. We replaced AAA batteries with a widely available, replaceable Nokia BL-5C lithium-ion battery for longer battery life and a more user-friendly experience.
  • Power-only USB-C charging. To preserve Passport’s air-gap while offering easier charging, we introduced a power-only USB-C port with no data connections.
  • A high-resolution color display. A vibrant IPS screen significantly enhances readability and QR code scanning in all lighting conditions.
  • Reinforced security. We kept our battle-tested STM processor and fully air-gapped design, and upgraded the secure element to the latest generation – ensuring the same uncompromising security.

We also reimagined the user experience. Passport Batch 2 introduced an updated interface designed to be simpler, more intuitive, and faster to navigate. This allowed users of all experience levels to seamlessly manage their Bitcoin without unnecessary complexity.

Introducing Passport Core in Stealth

The same security. The same seamless experience. But now, with a fresh new aesthetic.

Many of you have asked for more customization, and we’ve listened. While the Classic colorway remains as popular as ever, we’re excited to introduce a new look to meet our most frequent customer request!

Today, we’re officially announcing Passport Core in Stealth**,** a bold, refined new take on the hardware wallet you already trust. A sleek and modern design for those who prefer a more understated look.

Nothing about Passport Core security has changed, it’s still the same air-gapped, open-source, self-custody tool you trust. But now, you have the option to own a version that reflects your style.

Why Stealth?

As we ramped up production, demand for Passport Core remained incredibly strong, with the Classic colorway consistently selling out (we are sold out again today!). So, we decided to offer more choice, introducing the Stealth colorway as a new alternative for those who want a more discreet look.

  • Aesthetic preference. A new colorway that aligns with the preferences of the Bitcoiners who prefer subtle, sleek designs.
  • Same trusted security. Every security feature of Passport remains untouched, only the look has changed.
  • More ways to self-custody. Your Bitcoin, your keys, your choice, now in a new aesthetic.

Demand remains high, and we anticipate that the traditional Classic colorway will remain out of stock.

Passport Core: One Standard, Two Colorways

Today, many thousands of Passport Core devices are in the hands of Bitcoiners across the globe, protecting their wealth and securing their sovereignty. Your trust, feedback, and unwavering support have helped shape Passport Core into the best Bitcoin hardware wallet on the market. Now, with two distinct colorways, Classic and Stealth, you have even more choice in how you secure your Bitcoin. Whether you prefer the original design or a more low-profile, discreet aesthetic, Passport Core delivers the same uncompromising security and usability.

The Foundation Product Family: Built for Freedom

At Foundation, our mission is to build tools that empower people to reclaim their freedom. With more ways than ever to take control of your Bitcoin and entire digital life, our product family continues to grow.

Here’s how each of them plays a role in that journey.

Passport Core

The trusted Bitcoin hardware wallet that sets the standard for self-custody. Now available in two colorways Classicand Stealth, Passport Core is fully air-gapped, open-source, and assembled in the USA.

🔗 Learn more

Passport Prime

A first-of-its-kind personal security platform, Passport Prime goes beyond the hardware wallet. With 2FA, Bitcoin wallet, file storage, and more, Prime is designed to protect all aspects of your entire digital life.

🔗 Learn more

Envoy Mobile Wallet

Envoy is more than just a Bitcoin wallet, it’s the perfect companion to Passport Core & Prime. With an intuitive interface, seamless onboarding, and powerful privacy tools, it’s the easiest way to send, receive, and manage Bitcoin securely.

🔗 Learn more

Concierge Support

Self-custody can be intimidating, especially if you are new to Bitcoin. Concierge onboarding is a personalized 60-minute onboarding session for your Passport.

🔗 Learn More

With our Vault Concierge bundle, receive 3 Passport Core and 2 hours of expert guidance to create a 2-of-3 multisig vault in Sparrow, BlueWallet, or Nunchuk. No privacy leaks by sharing wallet info with trusted third parties. No subscriptions. Priority support.

🔗 Learn More

With three powerful products and our personalized onboarding support. Foundation is building a complete ecosystem for Bitcoin sovereignty and digital security.

Thank you for being part of this journey. 🧡

Envoy version 1.8.6 is now available!

Posted on February 4, 2025 - 8:42 am by

We’re excited to announce that the latest version of Envoy—1.8.6—is now available on all your favorite mobile platforms! To download it, simply visit our download page or check for updates on your platform of choice.

Please note that there can be a significant lag from publishing to general availability due to Apple App Store and Google Play Store review policies and delays.

What’s changed

In Envoy v1.8.6, we’ve focused on small bug fixes to prepare the app for the upcoming Passport Prime integration.

For more details on each of the changes, keep reading below!

New Features

  • After several requests from customers, the “Buy” button is now fully removed from the main view if this option is disabled from settings.

Improvements

  • We updated the Support area of Envoy to remove the link to our now read-only Telegram channel, and included a link to our new community

  • The Bitcoin ATM map will now retrieve the information from OpenStreetMaps, allowing people to add new spots where bitcoin can be bought and see this reflected in Envoy. Open Source is the way!

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue impacting some users where sometimes after deleting a hot wallet or a passport account Envoy could crash and could prevent some users form logging back in.

  • Fixed a rare bug where if the user deleted the Envoy app and reinstalled it later on, the seed could be displayed as “empty” even though the app recovered just fine.

  • Fixed a small bug where if no accounts were ever created nor paired, the Buy button was grayed out but still active.

  • Fixed a rare bug where under certain circumstances the destination address field could show as blank when reviewing a sending transaction.

  • Fixed a minor visual bug where one specific button under a niche scenario did not follow our design pattern.

  • Fixed a couple of minor vertical alignment issues in some texts and icons.

  • Smoothened a couple of transitions to make the UX a bit more fluid.

  • Fixed a minor visual issue where sometimes the amount of bitcoin would display as 0.0000000 instead of 0 in the send screen.

  • Fixed a small visual bug where scanning a BIP21 code with a defined amount wouldn’t fill all the trailing zeroes when the sending unit was Bitcoin.

  • Fixed a rare instance where the back arrow could be displayed twice under some menus.

Verifying Envoy on Android

If you’d like to take the optional additional step of verifying Envoy binaries on Android, follow our guide: Verifying Envoy on Android

QuantumLink: Reinventing Secure Wireless Communication

Posted on January 23, 2025 - 9:17 am by

When we set out to create Passport Prime, we knew we had to do more than just build a new operating system. We needed to address a long-standing issue: how to combine the convenience of wireless communication with the airgap-level security that defines our current devices. That’s why, from the ground up, we reinvented Bluetooth with a brand-new protocol called QuantumLink.

For years, Bluetooth has been the easiest way to connect devices. It’s convenient, familiar, and just about everywhere. But there’s always been that underlying discomfort. Many of us worry about what’s happening behind the scenes, what if attackers can eavesdrop or attempt to tamper with sensitive data? Or what if they insert unwanted additional commands? In our first and second-generation Passport, we answered that concern by using a QR code-based airgap. No wireless communications, and thus fewer avenues for attackers. It worked, but it reduces convenience, steepens the learning curve for newer users, and makes real-time updates and interactions impossible.

With Passport Prime, we refused to settle. We sought the security of an airgap combined with the freedom of wireless communication. We worked with the Blockchain Commons team to design a new protocol that would solve this problem once and for all. The result is QuantumLink, a system that offers the best of both worlds: it’s wireless, but it’s built to be almost as secure as an airgapped connection.

Here’s how it works. Passport Prime houses a dedicated Bluetooth chip, entirely separate from the security processor which runs KeyOS. All data that enters or exits the Bluetooth chip is already encrypted using a quantum-resistant encryption scheme.

What is Quantum Resistance?

Regular computers use bits that are like coins that must be either heads or tails. Quantum computers use qubits that, through the strange rules of quantum mechanics, can be in a special state that’s sort of like having the coin spinning – it has some probability of being heads and some probability of being tails until it’s measured. This ability to be in multiple states at once is what gives quantum computers their unique capabilities.

Today’s encryption is like having a huge combination lock that would take regular computers millions of years to crack by trying every possible combination. But quantum computers could potentially solve these combinations much faster using specialized quantum algorithms like Shor’s algorithm, which exploits quantum properties to find hidden patterns in numbers.

We achieve the quantum resistance via the following main properties:

  • The private/public keypair is generated randomly on each Passport Prime device just before you start the onboarding process
  • The private/public keypair is based on CRYSTALS-Kyber rather than ECC to gain quantum resistance for the main keys
  • The public key is provided to Envoy out of band via a QR code, which means the Bluetooth chip cannot see the value
  • Every message sent over QuantumLink from that point on uses a unique ChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption key (ChaCha20-Poly1305 is considered quantum-resistant)
  • This symmetric encryption key is, itself, encrypted using the recipient’s public key and an ephemeral public key from the sender.

The CRYSTALS-Kyber Key Exchange Mechanism is the most important part of QuantumLink’s quantum resistance properties. CRYSTALS-Kyber uses math problems that are hard even for quantum computers to solve – specifically, it relies on the difficulty of finding particular patterns in multidimensional lattices (think of trying to find a specific point in a vast, complex crystal structure). Even if a powerful quantum computer came along, it wouldn’t be able to crack CRYSTALS-Kyber’s mathematical puzzle any better than a regular computer.

This means the Bluetooth chip cannot understand any of the information it relays. It can only receive and send already-encrypted messages, and KeyOS will only accept properly signed messages. All other messages, regardless of who sends them are instantly ignored and dropped.

Even if the Bluetooth chip was malicious, it would not be able to extract any usable data nor insert any malicious commands.

Setting up Passport Prime with QuantumLink is as simple as scanning the QR code shown on Passport Prime’s screen during initial setup. This QR code contains Passport Prime’s public key.

Once scanned from Envoy, it sends its public key (encrypted) to Passport Prime over QuantumLink, and a fully encrypted tunnel is created.

From that point on, every message flowing through QuantumLink remains under lock and key, making it impossible for an attacker listening in over the air or a malicious Bluetooth chip to decipher communications.

The result is a Bluetooth-based protocol that provides a comparable level of security you’d expect from an airgap, all while offering the real-time convenience and flexibility. With QuantumLink, you can comfortably use wireless connections to interact with your phone, update KeyOS, and explore a world of new features all without compromising on security.

In addition, KeyOS offers a quick way to turn QuantumLink on and off, completely powering down the Bluetooth chip, making any communication impossible.

We’re excited to share QuantumLink with you as part of Passport Prime. It’s a bold step forward, one that redefines what you should expect from wireless communication. We’ve built it from the ground up to solve a problem that has nagged at us for too long: how to combine convenience and rock-solid security.

Now, with QuantumLink, the answer is finally here.

Backing Open-Source: 2024 Highlights!

Posted on January 9, 2025 - 11:38 am by

Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) is at the heart of innovation. By making source code freely available for anyone to review, modify, and improve, FOSS ensures that progress is driven by collaboration and transparency rather than gatekeeping. At Foundation, this ethos is woven into everything we do. From our earliest products to those on the horizon, our commitment has always been (and always will be) to release all of our work under free open licenses.

But our dedication to FOSS doesn’t end with our own tools. We actively contribute to other Bitcoin & FOSS projects, fix bugs upstream, propose & implement new features, and share improvements that can benefit the entire ecosystem. This collective approach not only strengthens the software we rely on but also helps advance the broader community as a whole. Over the past year, we’ve continued to champion FOSS by enhancing our products and supporting our peers’ efforts.

Below are some of the highlights of our 2024 contributions:

Moved Our Tor Library to an MIT License

We re-licensed our Tor library under MIT to make it more accessible to other wallets. This Rust-based library simplifies Tor implementation, and wallets like Cake Wallet and Stack Wallet are already integrating. We hope to encourage even more projects to adopt privacy-preserving technologies like Tor.

You can learn more here.

Enhancements to BIP329

We proposed and added a new key called spendable to the BIP329 standard to represent “blocked” or “frozen” coins. Multiple wallets, including Envoy and Sparrow, have implemented this enhancement, helping standardize how wallets handle coin states.

PR here.

Bug Fixes for Sparrow Wallet’s Hummingbird UR

We addressed a bug in Sparrow Wallet’s hummingbird Java UR implementation that prevented scans of the latest QR format. This fix also aided Casa in resolving a related issue with Passport, underscoring how upstream contributions can ripple through multiple projects.

PR here.

Major Cleanup in Xous-Core’s Cargo-xtask

We contributed significant bug fixes and cleanup to xous-core‘s cargo-xtask code, addressing clippy warnings and simplifying the code. cargo-xtask allows Rust developers to script various tasks beyond standard cargo commands, improving developer productivity and code quality and is used by Xous to streamline the OS building, running and testing process.

PR here.

Rust-Bitcoin Minimal Version Fix

We fixed a version mismatch in the rust-bitcoin ecosystem that caused compilation failures when using cargo build -Z minimal-versions. Ensuring compatibility with minimal-versions helps maintain a healthy and robust library dependency chain.

PR here.

Upstream Bug Fix in ‘ffi.rs’

Fixed a bug in the Xous version of Rust stdlib ffi.rs, a thin layer for making Xous system calls from the rust standard library.

PR here.

Compilation Fixes for ‘nrf-softdevice’

Fixed a compilation error for nrf52805  in the nrf-softdevice repository for embassy-rs. This library allows to access Nordic’s SoftDevice library with C API from Rust.

PR here.

ARM-v7A CRC Intrinsics in ‘stdarch’

Added missing ARM-v7A CRC intrinsics to the stdarch library of rust-lang. This now allows access to some of the SIMD instructions from the Rust code, without using inline assembly.

PR here.

Corrections to ‘rust-fatfs’

Fixed an issue with the rust-fatfs library, that was effectively creating malformed filesystem images. rust-fatfs is a library that can parse, read and write FAT32 filesystem images.

PR here.

Feature Requests and Issues Opened

  • Sparrow Wallet: We opened an issue that led to adding SD card message signing support. This feature was crucial for our own Passport hardware wallet but will also benefit other Sparrow users.
  • BTCPayServer: We identified a bug in the PSBT implementation for taproot addresses, which the BTCPay team promptly fixed. Their update ensures smoother compatibility for hardware wallets using Taproot and the PSBT standard.

Contributions to GNU Guix

Several contributions were made to the GNU Guix Linux distribution and package manager. This software emphasizes reproducibility and is built to ensure that any given package matches its definition and source code at all times. It is completely free software (as in freedom), so it doesn’t contain any binary blobs. Bitcoin Core uses GNU Guix for reproducible builds, and the Foundation is exploring it for reproducible firmware builds by creating a complete reproducible toolchain for embedded software development.

This year we:

  • Refactored the GNU Guix code base to make xtensa-ath9k-elf an official target, which is used to build the firmware for ath9k Wi-Fi adapters. See here.
  • Refactored GNU Guix to add the or1k-elf-embedded target to build the firmware of some Allwinner Sunix SoCs. See here. These refactorings are in preparation to add a complete arm-none-eabi with newlib toolchain in the future for embedded development. See here.
  • Applied a fix for the compilation of cross-compiler packages, part of the ongoing work to improve embedded firmware development in GNU Guix. See here.
  • Some modules from arguments were removed as a result of the addition of the AVR target to GNU Guix. See here.
  • Fixed the podman and distrobox packages for GNU Guix. These are packages we use to create reproducible environments for Passport firmware compilation. Distrobox allows us to create the same development environment used in Docker and Podman. See here and here.
  • Added a patch set that improves the reliability of Rust crates in GNU Guix by compiling and testing some of the crates. See here.
  • Applied a small fix to make a package visible in GNU Guix, as part of the refactoring for embedded development. See here.
  • Applied a small patch to fix the compilation of python-pyside-2, the Python Qt library. We don’t directly use this, but another program we were using was not compiling because of this failure, so we fixed it upstream. See here.
  • Added the latest version of ocaml-sedlex to GNU Guix and removed some bundled unicode files to use the distribution provided ones. See here.

We also updated multiple libraries multiple times. Most notably:

Partnership with Slint

We teamed up with the Slint UI team to implement 9-slice image support for their Image element, a feature we needed for our Passport Prime UI. Even though we funded this effort, we chose to open-source it, benefiting the broader Slint community and developers who rely on this powerful UI toolkit. So, it was released in Slint version 1.5.

Partnership with Blockchain Commons

Foundation is an ongoing sponsor of Blockchain Commons, an organization that works with developer communities to design, build, and maintain secure & compassionate decentralized architectures & tools for digital assets & digital identity.

We’ve been working with them for several years now, and we have actively contributed to the adoption of standards such as the Uniform Resources (animated QR codes) standard.

In addition to our ongoing support, we funded some important work on the Gordian Sealed Transport Protocol (GSTP). This is the protocol on which our QuantumLink secure Bluetooth technology is based. We are planning a separate blog post on this topic, where we will dive into the technical details of how this protocol works, and more about the Blockchain Commons team, so stay tuned for that.

Conclusion

As we close out 2024, we’re incredibly proud of all the hard work our team has poured into these FOSS initiatives. From fixing bugs and upstreaming improvements to actively collaborating on new features, we’ve shown that our commitment to free and open-source software goes far beyond our own products. It’s a pledge to support the broader ecosystem, the developers, projects, and communities that power it.

Our focus remains the same as we step into the future: keep every product and tool we create fully open source, contribute wherever we can, and champion the ideals of transparency, security, and collaboration that FOSS embodies. Thank you for following along on our journey. We’ll continue making open-source innovation a reality for everyone.

Foundation Updates: 2024 Recap

Posted on January 6, 2025 - 12:42 pm by

Welcome to our December edition of Foundation Updates! As we wrap up 2024, we’re celebrating a remarkable year full of exciting milestones, major announcements, and incredible growth, all made possible by your unwavering support. We want to thank our amazing community for making 2024 one for the books. Here’s a recap of some key highlights.

February: Passport & Envoy Upgrades

In February, we introduced support for Taproot transactions and added the option to export Passport’s master seed via SeedQR, giving you more flexibility in managing your keys.

Envoy also gained full “Replace-by-Fee” (RBF) control, making coin control easier than ever. Check out our coin control YouTube tutorial and RBF tweet thread for a detailed breakdown.

March: New Website & Halving Celebration

March brought the launch of our brand-new website, and your enthusiasm was incredible. Zach (our CEO) tweeted a behind-the-scenes look at how it was built.

We also teamed up with 21 other teams on X to celebrate the Bitcoin Halving, hosting fun giveaways and counting down to this major milestone in Bitcoin’s history. 🎉

June: “Buy Bitcoin” in Envoy

June was all about convenience. We unveiled a new “Buy Bitcoin” button in Envoy, making it simple to purchase Bitcoin directly into self-custody. For more information, read our blog post.

Meanwhile, Passport deepened its compatibility with Theya, Coinbits, and Zeus, giving you more tools to secure and manage your Bitcoin.

July: Nashville Bitcoin Conference

In July, we traveled to Nashville for the Bitcoin Conference, where we were thrilled to meet so many of you in person at our booth. The warm welcome, exciting conversations, and seeing folks pick up a Passport right on the spot made it an event to remember.

August: Vault Concierge & Ambassador Program

August saw the launch of our Vault Concierge Multi-sig service, a hands-on experience that walks you through multi-sig step by step, combining advanced security with guidance from our expert team. Want the full rundown? Head over to our website for all the details.

We also introduced our Ambassador Program and were blown away by the number of you who signed up. Your enthusiasm continues to amaze us. Thank you for spreading the word and representing our community so well. We love rewarding you at the end of each month. Since the Ambassador Program launched, we’ve paid out over $6,000 in rewards, and we can’t wait to see how you’ll continue to help us grow! Not a part of our ambassador team yet? You can sign up here.

September: Ephemeral Seeds & Tor Library Update

In September, Passport received another upgrade: ephemeral seed support. This feature lets you temporarily load seeds in three different ways, giving you even more options for how you interact with your passport. You can learn more here.

We also changed our Tor library license to help developers seamlessly integrate Tor into their apps and build for privacy. Developers, this is for you. Read more here.

October: FREE Self-Custody Email Course

October brought the launch of our free Self-Custody Email Course. This easy-to-follow guide covers everything from the fundamentals of Bitcoin to understanding keys and seeds. We hope it helps you and anyone you share it with get started confidently on their self-custody journey.

November: Community Transition & Passport Prime Teasers

In November, we moved our community from Telegram to a dedicated Discourse-based forum. This move gave us better security features and helps us keep scammers at bay. You can read more about this shift in our blog post.

We also started teasing images of Passport Prime, hinting at the big announcement we’d reveal in December.

December: Satoshi Christmas & Passport Prime

December was packed with holiday spirit as we took part in “Satoshi Christmas” on X with 21 other great Bitcoin teams. We counted down to the holidays and handed out prizes. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

The real showstopper of the year was our official reveal of Passport Prime, our most significant announcement yet. We can’t wait to get it into your hands and see the incredible ways you’ll use it and what you will build. You can watch the full keynote announcement here if you missed it.

What a Year!

We could go on for much longer too! We also launched a new documentation website, hosted self-custody workshops at PubKey, attended the Oslo Freedom Forum to donate Passport to freedom fighters and featured in over 30 podcasts.

2024 was our best year yet, growing in every way imaginable, and we couldn’t have done it without your incredible support. As we spring into 2025, we’re more committed than ever to our ethos of creating products that are simple, secure, and help you improve your sovereignty.

We remain laser-focused on getting Passport Prime into your hands as soon as possible. Your trust and enthusiasm fuel our passion for building better tools and experiences. Get ready for our biggest year yet. Stay tuned for more exciting updates.

Much love, Team Foundation 🧡

Building KeyOS!

Posted on December 19, 2024 - 11:34 am by

Building a Secure OS from the Ground Up: KeyOS

Creating a secure operating system from scratch is no small feat, but it’s precisely what we set out to do with KeyOS, the operating system powering our new Personal Security Platform, Passport Prime. During two years of intensive work, our engineering team built KeyOS to redefine what’s possible for secure, modular, and open-platform devices.

Here’s the KeyOS journey:

KeyOS is a next-generation microkernel operating system written in Rust. It’s a major leap forward from legacy operating systems like Ledger’s BOLOS, which runs in a closed-source smart card environment.

So, what’s a microkernel, and why does it matter?

A microkernel is a highly efficient and modular foundation for a secure operating system. Unlike monolithic kernels, microkernels focus on running only the most essential functions, while everything else operates in isolated “user space.” This design provides key advantages for a Personal Security Platform like Passport Prime:

1. Enhanced resilient and modularity: Each process is self-contained, reducing the risk of system-wide vulnerabilities.

2. Process isolation: Apps run in their own secure sandboxes, ensuring that even malicious or buggy apps can’t compromise other parts of the system.

3. Message-passing communication: Processes interact only through secure, managed message-passing, reducing attack surfaces.

This architecture allows Passport Prime to securely support multiple apps running side-by-side while KeyOS manages permissions and ensures airtight security.

Building KeyOS: A Two-Year Journey

KeyOS is completely open source and built on the kernel of the remarkable Xous project, from which we also incorporate their ‘avalanche noise source’ technology directly into our Passport hardware wallet. For those unfamiliar, Xous was created by hardware hacker Bunnie and his collaborator Xobs as part of the Precursor and Betrusted initiative, a crowdfunded effort to build an open-source, secure communications platform with a microkernel OS written in Rust.

We started with the Xous kernel and a few key services and ported it from RISC-V to ARM architecture, customized it for Passport Prime, and implemented drivers for every component of the device. Our team also added modern graphics support and developed core apps that leverage the power of KeyOS, and we are proud to be ranked as the #5 and #6 contributors to Xous on GitHub. Think of KeyOS vs. Xous the same way as Ubuntu vs. Linux kernel. KeyOS is essentially the first distro of Xous.

Breaking the Performance Barrier

Most security devices force users to compromise. You either get:

1. Modern hardware with high-resolution, color touchscreens, or

2. Secure hardware with subpar performance

KeyOS breaks this trade-off. Running on a 500 MHz security processor, Passport Prime delivers smartphone-like responsiveness in a highly secure environment.

Unlike other devices, which rely on slow, off-the-shelf components and bloated software and operating systems (like Android), we built everything in-house:

1. The operating system

2. The drivers

3. The apps

This bare-metal, vertically integrated approach unlocks unparalleled speed and ease of use on Passport Prime. It’s a true breakthrough for security hardware.

Enabling Third-Party Apps

One of the most exciting aspects of KeyOS is its potential as a developer platform. Developers will be able to permissionlessly create and distribute apps for Passport Prime.

We’re building an SDK, comprehensive documentation, and an app catalog to make this process as seamless as possible. Our first integration is with Cake Wallet, the popular privacy wallet.

Why this is game-changing

1. Flexibility: Developers can bypass the restrictive APIs of other devices and build apps that match their vision. They can bring their logo and familiar UI right into KeyOS.

2. Security: All apps are sand-boxed with hardened, derived child seeds, ensuring your funds are always safe even if an app is compromised.

3. Transparency: Apps distributed through our Envoy app catalog must be open source and have reproducible builds, so users can verify what they’re running on Passport Prime.

With the Cake Wallet app, Passport Prime will support privacy wallets, offering a best-in-class cold storage experience. Users of Monero will finally have a great experience securing their assets in cold storage.

Join the Developer Community

We’re inviting all Bitcoin, privacy, security, and cryptocurrency developers to build apps for Passport Prime. Passport Prime offers an open, flexible platform to bring your ideas to life.

Interested developers can sign up on our website to get started. Apps will be distributed through the Envoy app and a dedicated app catalog, making installation and updates effortless. Developers can also distribute apps directly to their users if desired.

The Future of Passport Prime

KeyOS represents a new standard in security, performance, and expandability for hardware wallets. By combining a cutting-edge microkernel design with open-source principles, we’re not just building a secure device but creating a platform for innovation.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to expand the possibilities of KeyOS and Passport Prime. Whether you’re a user or a developer, we can’t wait to see what you’ll build.

 

Explore More:
Discover all the details about Passport Prime on our website, and watch our official launch keynote video to see our vision for secure, open-platform innovation in action.

 

 

Introducing Passport Prime!

Posted on December 18, 2024 - 12:30 pm by

We are beyond excited to introduce the newest member of the Foundation family: Passport Prime, the world’s first Personal Security Platform. Designed to secure not only your Bitcoin but your entire digital life. Passport Prime is more than just a hardware wallet – it’s a Swiss army knife for your personal security.

Need a quick 20-minute rundown of the announcement? Check out the recent keynote from our CEO, Zach, on our website.

Passport Prime empowers you to secure your entire digital life – with one device. We have much to cover, so let’s dive in and see what Prime can do!

FEATURES

Bitcoin Wallet

Passport Prime offers the same robust Bitcoin hardware wallet capabilities as our gen-2 Passport. It supports all of the popular Bitcoin software wallets you have come to know and love. Prime offers a best-in-class multisig experience alongside numerous power-user features like passphrases and temporary seeds.

Multi-Factor Authentication

With its 2FA Codes app, Prime enables you to store your most important 6-digit 2FA codes in a secure, offline environment. For even stronger multi-factor authentication, Passport Prime replaces all of your Yubikeys with the Security Keys app. You can create multiple security keys for use with NFC or USB.

Secure File Storage

Passport Prime also replaces your encrypted flash drive. With its 50 GB of included capacity, Prime can secure your most important files. A killer feature in the File Browser app is called Airlock – when you plug Passport Prime into your phone or computer, it will only provide access to the files in your Airlock, ensuring the privacy of your data.

Seed Vault 

Passport Prime helps you organize and bring together all your seed words in one place – the Seed Vault app. You can instantly create new seeds, temporarily load seeds, and even store your existing seeds.

But wait, there’s more…

Those features are just the beginning, thanks to KeyOS, Passport Prime’s custom operating system, the possibilities for what you can achieve with Prime are practically endless.

KEYOS

What is KeyOS?

KeyOS is a next-gen microkernel operating system written in Rust. KeyOS offers a highly modular, yet locked-down environment where apps run side-by-side in their own sandboxes, while the OS manages permissions. This is how we are going to enable third party apps, and grow Passport Prime into a robust developer platform!

Developer Platform

From ~ mid-2025 developers will be able to build third party apps to run on KeyOS! But you won’t have to ask Foundation for permission. KeyOS will offer an open developer platform, meaning developers will be able to list their own apps in our App Catalog.

We are super excited to announce our friends at Cake Wallet will be producing the first ever third-party KeyOS app! Cake is a popular privacy-oriented cryptocurrency wallet with around 500,000 users and has support for Bitcoin, Monero and many others.

 

 

Do you have a favorite app you think could benefit from the extra security Passport Prime can offer? Help us spread the word! We’d love to work with other teams to bring enable your Prime to secure even more of your digital life.

SECURE, YET SIMPLE

Setting up Passport Prime with Envoy could not be easier. You’ll be guided every step of the way. Thanks to Passport Prime’s seamless communications with Envoy via our secure QuantumLink Bluetooth, you can go from zero to a secure digital life in minutes.

NFC Backups

KeyOS uses a 2-of-3 Shamir Secret Sharing configuration to split your seed into three pieces – two stored on cards, and the third stored on your Envoy mobile app. With our optional Magic Backups, your app data and settings are encrypted and sent to the Foundation servers via Envoy. No username, no passwords, no email address and crucially, no seed words ever leaving your device.

If you ever need to replace your Passport Prime, simply connect it to Envoy and tap one of your two KeyCards – that’s it!

QuantamLink Bluetooth

Passport Prime contains a dedicated Bluetooth chip, separate from the security processor running KeyOS. This Bluetooth chip can only send and receive messages that are already encrypted using quantum-resistant tech. Once connected, interactions with Envoy are effortless and happen almost instantly.

 

EXTRA DETAILS

Here’s a quick list of extra info you might be excited to learn:

1. Passport Prime ships in two beautiful colorways, Arctic Copper and Midnight Bronze

2. Passport Prime ships with everything you need in a single box.

3. Passport Prime hardware and software will be open source at launch.

4. Passport Prime is proudly assembled in the USA.

You can learn a lot about Passport Prime on our new product details page.

Envoy version 1.8.5 is now available

Posted on November 27, 2024 - 9:12 am by

The latest version of Envoy – 1.8.5 – is now published on all your favorite mobile platforms! To download it, simply visit our download page or check for updates on your platform of choice.

Please note that there can be a significant lag from publishing to general availability due to Apple App Store and Google Play Store review policies and delays.

What’s changed

Envoy 1.8.5 is a small bug-fix release.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a rare issue where some iOS users weren’t able to see or select any fiat currencies after enabling the fiat toggle

  • Fixed an issue where some users might get stuck in the splash screen after a very specific set of steps were performed

Verifying Envoy on Android

If you’d like to take the optional additional step of verifying Envoy binaries on Android, follow our guide: Verifying Envoy on Android

Foundation Updates: October 2024

Posted on November 1, 2024 - 11:01 am by

Welcome to our October edition of Foundation Updates. This month has been packed with announcements and launches, from the opening of our Ambassador Store and new firmware releases to the launch of our self-custody email course. October was a busy month!

Now, let’s catch up and dive into what’s been happening.

Passport v2.3.5

 

In October we released two firmware updates, v2.3.4 and v2.3.5. In v2.3.4 we worked closely with the @CasaHODL team on several updates to restore full compatibility with their excellent multisig service. We also resolved a number of visual bugs to further enhance the user experience.

v2.3.5 was a hot fix release where we rectified an issue causing a freeze when updating the new firmware that was affecting some customers. If you experience any firmware issues, please contact our support team who can guide you through the simple steps required to fix the problem.

Read more 👉 Full Passport Release Notes v2.3.5 

Envoy v1.8.4

 

In October we made 2 releases for Envoy. v1.8.3 and v1.8.4. Check them out below.

Here’s what’s new in v1.8.3

  • Buy Bitcoin Available in All US States: Our Buy Bitcoin feature can now be used to purchase Bitcoin in all 50 US states. Including some of the most legally challenging ones like New York, Louisiana, and Hawaii.
  • Enhanced Tor Connection: Enjoy improved privacy and security with our upgraded Tor integration, ensuring a smoother connection.
  • User Interface Improvements: we’ve made a wide range of visual improvements across the app.

v1.8.4 saw a fix for some people who had an issue with sending to legacy address types.

Read more 👉 Full Envoy Release Notes v1.8.4

If you haven’t experienced Envoy yet, now’s the perfect time. Check it out below Bitcoin, simplified!

Download Envoy: https://foundation.xyz/envoy/

Ambassador Store 🌟

 

In case you missed it, in October we launched our Ambassador Store. This exciting addition allows you to redeem your referral rewards for exclusive items, including hardware, merch, and Bitcoin vouchers. To help you navigate the store and learn how to redeem your rewards, we’ve written a helpful blog post here.

A huge thank you to our community for your support. If you’re not already an Ambassador, you can sign up here to start earning rewards and enjoy all the perks of our exclusive program. It’s free and easy to get involved, we look forward to rewarding our customers as a way to say thank you.

EU Shipping got Better 🚀

 

Starting October 2024, we were thrilled to announce that orders placed from within the European Union (EU) will be fulfilled from our dedicated distribution center, Bitcoin Brabhant. This change means faster delivery times, lower shipping costs, and reduced customs delays for our EU customers. Plus, all import taxes and duties will be calculated and paid at checkout, ensuring a hassle-free shopping experience with no unexpected fees.

You can read all the details about this update in our blog post here.

Self-Custody 101 📧

 

In October, we were very excited to launch our FREE Self-Custody Email Course, designed to help you navigate the journey of self-custody. Packed with helpful tips and guides, this course covers essential topics such as Bitcoin properties, the importance of self-custody, understanding keys and seeds, and getting started with a wallet. We hope it helps you on your self-custody journey, don’t hesitate to share it with anyone you think could benefit!

Ready to take control of your Bitcoin? Sign up for the email course here.

Photo of the Month 📸

 

Each month, we select one of our users’ photos from social media to feature in our newsletter. Your experiences and stories are what keep us building, and we’re grateful for your ongoing support. Keep sharing your moments with us, and you could be the next one in our newsletter!

One of our community members, @thebtcrebel, shared an awesome photo on X, saying:

“I’m preparing a new tutorial in Italian on how to use the Bitcoin air-gapped hardware wallet FOUNDATION PASSPORT ⁦”

If you’re Italian, be sure to follow him! We can’t wait to see the tutorial!

What we’re working on 🛠️

 

  • Get ready for an epic Christmas collaboration that will take the X space by storm again. Each year it gets bigger and better, and we can’t wait for you to see the surprises we have lined up for you this year.
  • Speaking of Christmas, we have an incredible surprise lined up for December that we’ve been working on for a long time! Trust us, you won’t want to miss this. Keep an eye on our socials throughout November for some subtle hints.
  • New Releases for Envoy & Passport: We’re preparing to roll out new updates for both Envoy and Passport, more details coming soon.

Company Spotlights 🌐

 

Each month, we’re excited to spotlight two standout companies that resonate with our values and mission. These are the innovators and trailblazers we believe are making a significant impact, and we’re thrilled to share their work with you.

The Bitcoin Way

This month we also want to introduce you to one of our favorite Bitcoin-only businesses, The Bitcoin Way.

With 25 years of cyber-security experience, their expert training ensures you know how to:

  1. Secure your wealth properly in FULL self-custody and develop robust inheritance plans to secure your family’s wealth indefinitely.
  2. Protect your devices from unwanted surveillance, malware, and cyber-security threats.
  3. Secure Plan-B Residency in Bitcoin-friendly jurisdictions so that you can vote with your feet and go where you’re treated best.

Want to become fully self-sovereign and go all the way?

Then you need The Bitcoin Way.

Links:

Website: https://www.thebitcoinway.com/

Twitter: https://x.com/Thebitcoinway_

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBitcoinWay

 

Fountain

 

We’re excited to spotlight Fountain this month, a game-changer in the podcasting space and a standout in the Bitcoin community. Fountain has recently gone all in on Nostr, enhancing your podcast experience in a truly innovative way.

With Fountain, you can engage directly, comment on, or Zap Bitcoin to podcasting episodes while staying within the app. Your interactions will be reflected directly in your Nostr timeline, creating a smooth and connected experience. We are blown away with the innovation. As the leading podcasting streaming service in the Bitcoin world. Fountain is redefining how we interact with content. We’re thrilled to highlight their incredible integration and innovative approach.

You can download Fountain here and stream your favorite podcasts.

Conclusion

 

That wraps up our October edition of Foundation updates – thank you for joining us, stay tuned for more next month. In the meantime, for daily updates and insightful content, you can:

🐦 Follow us on Twitter

🟣 Follow us on Nostr

🌐 Subscribe to our newsletter

💬 Join our community support group on Telegram

With love from all at Foundation 🧡

Envoy version 1.8.4 is now available

Posted on October 30, 2024 - 6:07 am by

The latest version of Envoy – 1.8.4 – is now published on all your favorite mobile platforms! To download it, simply visit our download page or check for updates on your platform of choice.

Please note that there can be a significant lag from publishing to general availability due to Apple App Store and Google Play Store review policies and delays.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a problem affecting some users related to not being able to send to legacy type addresses

Verifying Envoy on Android

If you’d like to take the optional additional step of verifying Envoy binaries on Android, follow our guide: Verifying Envoy on Android

Envoy version 1.8.3 is now available!

Posted on October 24, 2024 - 12:17 pm by

We’re excited to announce that the latest version of Envoy – 1.8.3 – is now published on all your favorite mobile platforms! To download it, simply visit our download page or check for updates on your platform of choice.

Please note that there can be a significant lag from publishing to general availability due to Apple App Store and Google Play Store review policies and delays.

What’s changed

In Envoy v1.8.3, we’ve continued our focus on refining the Envoy experience you know and love, expanding the Buy bitcoin feature to all 50 US states as well as bolstering the stability of our Tor connection and polishing the UI. Unfortunately, due to regulatory reasons beyond our control, we have temporarily removed all buy features for users of the iOS app in the U.K and India. Some aspects of this functionality will be reinstated in an upcoming release.

New

  • Ramp can now be used to purchase Bitcoin in all 50 US states! Including some of the most legally challenging ones like New York, Louisiana and Hawaii.

Improvements

  • BIG tor connection stability and reliability improvement! Added .onion endpoint to Fulcrum instance to improve Tor connection reliability.

  • TONS of visual improvements across the board

  • Buy Bitcoin account display will now match the order of accounts used in the main Accounts view, and the animation is much slicker!

  • Implemented our own back end for Signet so we no longer depend on Mutinynet.

  • Signet and Testnet transactions can now be explored in Foundation’s mempool directly from the Transaction details

    • To access this button, from any transaction details tap the TXID to expand it, you will see the option appear on the left, like with Mainnet

  • When recovering from a backup, the Activity tab will now also load transactions that happened after the date the backup was created

  • If an already paired passport is scanned from the new Passport setup connection flow, Envoy will now recognize that and continue through the Existing Passport Setup flow instead of erring out.

  • Improved error logging for RBF related issues

  • Improved log pruning to avoid freezes when exporting logs

  • Updated Flutter to version 3.24.0

  • Updated Arti to 1.2.7

  • Updated some dependencies with minor vulnerabilities

  • Scanning uppercase bitcoin addresses will now display them in lowercase in the “To:” section

  • The Activity tab and the account details will now display transactions ordered by the time transactions were broadcast rather than by the moment they confirmed

  • Improved Portuguese and Catalan translations

  • Improved logging for our validation server connection

  • Updated our Fulcrum servers to 1.11.1

  • Updated Bitcoin Core to 28.0

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an instance where some RBF transactions could remain in your activity view as ‘Awaiting Confirmation’ even after the boosted transaction confirmed on-chain

  • Fixed a rare bug where a user could get stuck in a loop when recovering a backup under specific circumstances

  • Fixed a bug where deleting a wallet wouldn’t properly delete it on iOS under certain circumstance

  • Fixed an issue where sometimes the “insufficient funds” alert would show up in Signet even if there were enough coins selected in the wallet

  • Fixed an issue where sometimes the amount to send when boosting a transaction would be incorrectly displayed

  • Boosted and Canceled transactions will be displayed as such when recovering from a backup moving forward. Up until now, they would show as “Sent” in the Activity tab and in the Account details after a magic recovery happened

  • Fixed a bug where the Account Activity view and the Activity tab could at times show different information regarding the confirmation of a transaction

  • Fixed an issue where some entries could be duplicated in Activity

  • Fixed an instance where using Android’s native back gesture could be interpreted as a double-back gesture and take the user back two menus instead of one

  • Fixed a bug where some BTCPay BIP21 invoices were interpreted as BTCPay vouchers by Envoy

  • Fixed a minor bug where the number pad was usable after confirming a transaction, while the transaction was being built

  • Fixed a minor visual bug where sometimes if the transaction failed the animation wouldn’t load properly

  • Fixed an issue where tapping ‘Dismiss’ wouldn’t make a prompt disappear if more than one account was paired

  • Fixed a minor visual bug where sometimes in the seed import flow the text could be displayed too far down in the screen

  • Fixed some iOS specific screens that the user could scroll where they shouldn’t

Verifying Envoy on Android

If you’d like to take the optional additional step of verifying Envoy binaries on Android, follow our guide: Verifying Envoy on Android

EU Shipping Improvements

Posted on October 21, 2024 - 10:44 am by

Here at Foundation, we strive to ensure that every step of our customer journey is exceptional. This, of course, includes the things you see, feel and experience, like our beautiful hardware and thoughtfully designed software, but also extends to the often overlooked aspects like the shipping and unboxing experience.

Being a U.S based company that ships globally, we are all too familiar with the headaches sometimes faced by our customers that reside outside of the U.S. Namely shipping costs, shipping times and unexpected taxes. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce that, starting October 2024, orders placed from within the European Union (EU) will be fulfilled from our dedicated distribution center, Bitcoin Brabhant.

Bitcoin Brabhant is a long established and well respected company that has been an official reseller of Foundation hardware for a number of years. Today’s announcement further cements our relationship to bring a more seamless experience for our EU-based customers. Bitcoin Brabhant share our passion for furthering Bitcoin adoption through open source hardware and software and crucially, are just as critical about handling customer data as we are.

What this Means for You

  1. Faster Delivery Times – With our EU distribution center, we can process and ship your orders from within the region. This means quicker delivery times, allowing you to receive your items sooner.
  2. Affordable Shipping Costs – Shipping from the EU costs us less, and we’re delighted to pass those savings on to you. You can expect lower shipping fees when placing your orders, making your experience not just faster, but also more budget-friendly.
  3. Reduced Customs Delays – Navigating customs can be a hassle, but with our new setup, you’ll experience fewer delays. The more relaxed import laws when shipping within the EU mean that your packages can sail through customs and land in your hands without holdups.
  4. Clear and Transparent Fees – One of the biggest headaches of online shopping has been surprise customs fees upon delivery. We’ve addressed this concern by ensuring that all import taxes and duties are calculated and paid at checkout. What does this mean for you? Simple: no unexpected charges when your package arrives. You can shop with confidence, knowing exactly what you’re paying at checkout time.

Your Privacy Matters

We recognize that data privacy is a critical concern for our customers, and we know that Bitcoin Brabhant shares this commitment. As our dedicated distribution partner, they adhere to strict data protection standards to safeguard your information. Once your package is shipped, all customer data is permanently deleted from their systems, ensuring your personal information is not stored or used beyond the necessary processing window. For more details on how Bitcoin Brabhant handles your privacy, we invite you to review their privacy policy, which outlines their practices and commitments to protecting your data.

We’re Here to Help

Your satisfaction is our priority, and we’re committed to providing excellent support. If you have any questions or concerns about this new shipping process, be it about delivery times, import duties, or anything else, our customer service team is ready to assist you. Reach out via our contact page, and we’ll be happy to help!

Passport Version 2.3.5 is Now Live

Posted on October 18, 2024 - 11:59 am by

The latest version of Passport firmware – 2.3.5 – is now live! To download it, simply initiate the update from Envoy to be guided through the process.

WHAT’S CHANGED

After the release of firmware v2.3.4, a small number of users reported their updates getting stuck at “98% Verifying Signatures.” While this issue did not affect the functionality or security of the device, we took immediate action to investigate and resolve it. With the release of firmware v2.3.5, this problem has been fixed for those affected users.

We’ve already reached out directly to customers known to be experiencing this issue and provided simple steps to resolve it. However, if you encounter the same problem when updating your Passport firmware, our support team is ready to assist. Just get in touch, and we’ll guide you through the process of upgrading to the latest v2.3.5 version.

To prevent further occurrences, we’ve removed the affected firmware files (v2.3.2 and v2.3.4) from our GitHub repository. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and sincerely thank our customers for their patience while we worked to fix the issue. Your feedback helps us continually improve, and we appreciate your support.

If you’re still experiencing issues or need further assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can visit our Support Page , or contact our support team directly via Telegram.

 

BUG FIXES

  • Fixed an issue where upgrading from 2.3.2 or 2.3.4 was getting stuck at 98% completion.

  • Fixed a typo in the firmware update flow.

 

VERIFYING, REPRODUCING, AND INSTALLING PASSPORT FIRMWARE

If you’d like to verify and install the latest version of Passport manually, you can follow our guide on the topic here: Firmware Update support page

If you’d like to take the additional step of testing the reproducibility of Passport’s firmware, you can follow our guide on the topic here: Reproducibility Guide.

Passport version 2.3.4 is now live!

Posted on October 15, 2024 - 11:22 am by

We’re excited to announce that the latest version of Passport firmware – 2.3.4 – is now live! To download it, simply initiate the update from Envoy to be guided through the process.

WHAT’S CHANGED

With this version of Passport’s firmware, we’ve worked closely with the Casa team on a number of small fixes to restore full compatibility with their excellent multisig service.

BUG FIXES

  • Casa users will now be able to properly perform health checks for their setups
  • ​Minor visual bugfixes involved in niche scenarios
    ​
    ​​

VERIFYING, REPRODUCING, AND INSTALLING PASSPORT FIRMWARE

If you’d like to verify and install the latest version of Passport manually, you can follow our guide on the topic here: Firmware Update support page

If you’d like to take the additional step of testing the reproducibility of Passport’s firmware, you can follow our guide on the topic here: Reproducibility Guide.

The Ambassador Store is Live

Posted on October 14, 2024 - 9:17 am by

At Foundation, we’re driven by the mission to make Bitcoin and decentralized technologies accessible to everyone, empowering individuals to reclaim their digital freedom. In a world where the tech industry has become centralized, invasive, and pro-censorship, we aim to give you back control over your wealth, privacy, and digital autonomy. Whether it’s through Bitcoin self-custody, open-source solutions, or privacy-focused tools, our goal is to help you secure a future that’s truly independent and free.

But we couldn’t do it alone. Every day, our community members go above and beyond to spread the word about Foundation, Passport, and Envoy. We want to give back by offering more than just a “thank you.” That’s why we created the Foundation Ambassador Program to reward you for being an integral part of our mission.

What is the Ambassador Program?

The Ambassador Program is designed for those who regularly share their love for Foundation with friends, family, and fellow Bitcoiners. Now, you can continue spreading the word and get rewarded for it.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Sign Up for Free: Join the Ambassador Program in just 30 seconds by visiting our Ambassador Portal. Fill in your details and you’ll gain access to your personal dashboard.
  2. Get Your Unique Coupon Code: Once you’re logged in, you’ll receive a coupon code that you can customize. Instead of a random code like ‘L27Z9F4D,’ you can change it to something more memorable, like ‘SATOSHI21.’
  3. Earn Rewards for Referrals: Whenever someone uses your coupon to purchase a Passport or book a Concierge onboarding call, they get a discount, and you earn rewards! You’ll get $10 for each Passport referral and $5 for each Concierge service purchase.
  4. Convert Your Referrals into Store Credit: Each month, your referral rewards will be converted into store credit. The more referrals you make, the more credit you accumulate leading to some great rewards in our Ambassador Store!

Ambassador Store

With the launch of our Ambassador Store, we’re thrilled to provide you with even more opportunities to enjoy your rewards. The store is designed to reward you for spreading the word about Foundation, allowing you to turn your referral rewards into tangible perks. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your Bitcoin setup, grab some exclusive merch, or even stack more sats the Ambassador Store has something for you. The best part? This is just the beginning, more items will be added as we continue to grow the program.

Here’s what you can grab right now:

  • Passport
  • Concierge
  • Vault Concierge
  • Exclusive Ambassador-only merch
  • Bitcoin vouchers

How to Redeem Your Rewards

Redeeming your rewards is easy. Here’s a simple step-by-step guide:

  1. Log into the Ambassador Portal: Visit the store and log in to your account.
  2. Browse and Add to Cart: Pick the items you want from our exclusive collection whether it’s merch, hardware, or Bitcoin vouchers.
  3. Apply Your Rewards: During checkout, simply select the option to use your account balance to complete the purchase.
  4. Receive Your Items: We’ll process your order promptly and ship it straight to your door.

Bitcoin Vouchers

How about turning your rewards into Bitcoin? You can redeem your rewards for Bitcoin vouchers via our BTCPay Server. It’s simple:

  1. Add the Bitcoin Voucher to your cart.
  2. Select the option to use your account balance to complete the purchase.
  3. Within three working days, you’ll receive a separate email to withdraw your funds directly to self-custody.

Note: Bitcoin vouchers are only available for purchase using your account balance.

Stack Your Rewards for Bigger Purchases

Not ready to redeem yet? You don’t have to! You can save up your rewards for even bigger purchases. Whether it’s Passport or personalized Concierge services, your rewards never expire. So, stack them up for those high-ticket items!

Join the Ambassador Community

We’re not just building a rewards program, we’re building a community. We’ve created a dedicated topic in our Telegram group just for Ambassadors, where you can get support, ask questions, and share ideas. And that’s not all, we’re also preparing exclusive content, designed to help you promote and earn even more rewards. If you need anything or have suggestions, we’re here for you.

How to Get Involved

If you’re not already an Ambassador, you’re missing out on the fun! Sign up today to start earning rewards. It’s free, easy, and gives you access to all the perks of our exclusive Ambassador program.

Foundation Updates: September 2024

Posted on October 9, 2024 - 11:28 am by

Welcome to our September edition of Foundation Updates! We’re excited to bring you the latest news from Foundation HQ. September was a great month, we rolled out a new Passport release and introduced some changes to our Tor library, making it even easier for others to use. And yes, we know we’re a few days late with this update, apologies! We’ve been hard at work on some exciting things, some of which we’re sharing with you here, and some we’ll be sharing with you in the coming months.

Now, let’s catch up and dive in. 🫡

Product Updates 🔥

Passport Firmware v2.3.2

We were thrilled to announce the release of Passport v2.3.2, packed with new features and improvements.

Here’s what’s new:

We’ve also made numerous improvements and fixes, be sure to check out the full release notes below for all the details!

Read more 👉 Full Passport Release Notes v2.3.2

TOR Library Update

Last month, we made a significant update to our Tor library by transitioning it from the GPL to the more permissive MIT license. This change makes it easier for developers to integrate Tor into any Flutter-based wallet, enhancing privacy for users with just a few lines of code.

Our friends at Cake Wallet are also integrating the library into their app, helping advance privacy across the Bitcoin ecosystem. Big thanks to Stack Wallet for their valuable contributions as well!

Want to dive deeper? Check out our full blog post and our Twitter announcement. Developers, you’re invited to explore and use the Tor library, build with us for a more private, secure future. Get the code on GitHub.

Team Spotlight & Updates 👥

In September, our team has been busy making appearances across podcasts, media outlets, and conferences. We’ve been actively sharing insights and engaging with the community. Here’s where you can catch up on all the action and hear what we’ve been up to!

🎙️ Podcast Appearances:

  • Our very own QnA co-hosts the bi-weekly podcast ‘The Bitcoin Brief’ on the Ungovernable Misfits feed. Check out the latest episode here and stream it on the Bitcoin podcasting 2.0 app, Fountain!
  • Our Head of Marketing Greer joined Simply Bitcoin TV for a live stream and discussed all things Black Rock.
  • Our team member Jack had an awesome time at Watch Out Bitcoin! A huge thanks to everyone who purchased a Passport, and connected with him. Stay tuned, more panels and event details will be shared as they are released.

Photo of the Month 📸

Each month, we select one of our users’ photo from social media to feature in our newsletter. Your experiences and stories are what keeps us building, and we’re grateful for your ongoing support. Keep sharing your moments with us, and you could be the next one in our newsletter!

One of our community members, @BachelorKing77, shared an awesome photo on X, saying:

“This bad boy just arrived today. Super excited to try it out!”

We love seeing the excitement from our users!

What we’re working on 🛠️

  • Ambassador Store: We’re enhancing our Ambassador Store with more rewards, improved communication and tools for our ambassadors.
  • Something for New Bitcoiners: Stay tuned for a new exciting resource to help new Bitcoiners get started with self-custody.
  • New Releases for Envoy & Passport: We’re preparing to roll out new updates for both Envoy and Passport—more details coming soon!

Company Spotlights 🌐

Each month, we’re excited to spotlight two standout companies that resonate with our values and mission. These are the innovators and trailblazers we believe are making a significant impact, and we’re thrilled to share their work with you.

The Bitcoin Way

This month we also want to introduce you to one of our favorite Bitcoin only businesses, The Bitcoin Way.

With 25 years of cyber-security experience, their expert training ensures you know how to:

  1. Secure your wealth properly in FULL self-custody and develop robust inheritance plans to secure your family’s wealth indefinitely.
  2. Protect your devices from unwanted surveillance, malware and cyber-security threats.
  3. Secure Plan-B Residency in Bitcoin friendly jurisdictions so that you can vote with your feet and go where you’re treated best.

Want to become fully self-sovereign and go all the way?

Then you need The Bitcoin Way.

Links:

Website: https://www.thebitcoinway.com/

Twitter: https://x.com/Thebitcoinway_

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBitcoinWay

Fountain

We’re excited to spotlight Fountain this month, a game-changer in the podcasting space and a standout in the Bitcoin community. Fountain has recently gone all in on Nostr, enhancing your podcast experience in a truly innovative way.

With Fountain, you can engage directly, comment on or Zap Bitcoin to podcasting episodes while staying within the app. Your interactions will be reflected directly in your Nostr timeline, creating a smooth and connected experience. We are blown away with the innovation. As the leading podcasting streaming service in the Bitcoin world. Fountain is redefining how we interact with content. We’re thrilled to highlight their incredible integration and innovative approach

You can download Fountain here and stream your favorite podcasts.

That wraps up our Septmeber edition of Foundation updates – thank you for joining us, stay tuned for more next month. In the meantime, for daily updates and insightful content you can:

🐦Follow us on Twitter

🟣 Follow us on Nostr

🌐 Subscribe to our newsletter

💬 Join our community support group on Telegram

With love from all at Team Foundation 🧡

 

 

Building a Private Future: Tor Library’s Move to MIT Licensing

Posted on September 19, 2024 - 1:08 pm by

Building Tools for Freedom

At Foundation, we believe that true freedom in the digital age starts with privacy. We’re excited to announce that we’ve changed the license of our Tor library from GPL to the more permissive MIT license. This shift allows developers even greater flexibility to integrate and adapt our Tor library within their Flutter-based wallets and privacy-focused projects, furthering the mission of protecting user privacy across the globe.

Why Tor Matters in the Fight for Privacy

Tor is a vital tool in the ongoing fight for privacy. By routing internet traffic through a series of encrypted hops, Tor masks users’ IP addresses and encrypts their traffic, making it very impossible for third parties to monitor their online activities.

In the context of Bitcoin and privacy, this is especially important. By integrating Tor, developers can ensure that users’ transaction data and personal information are not easily tied together. This not only enhances the privacy of users but also adds an essential layer of security to wallets. As more people turn to Bitcoin as a tool for financial sovereignty, protecting their digital footprint is crucial.

Empowering Developers with Open-Source Tools

At Foundation, we are passionate advocates of open-source and collaboration across the space to help people regain their freedom. While our Tor library has always been open-source, we’ve now made it even more accessible by switching its license from GPL to the MIT license. This change provides the community with greater flexibility and ease in integrating Tor into any Flutter-based wallet, making it an even more seamless and powerful tool for enhancing user privacy.

With just a few lines of code, developers can add this crucial privacy feature to their wallets, ensuring that user data is not only secure but also more private. We see this as an important step toward creating a more private and secure digital ecosystem, where financial independence and privacy go hand in hand.

Contributions from the Community

We’re thrilled to highlight the incredible support and contributions from our community. A special thanks goes to our friends over at StackWallet, who not only integrated the Tor library into their own stack (pun intended) but have also provided invaluable feedback and contributions that have helped make the library what it is today.

In addition, we’re excited to say our friends over at Cake Wallet are also integrating our Tor library into their stack. As a privacy-first wallet, their commitment to user security and anonymity aligns closely with our own mission. By incorporating our Tor library, Cake Wallet is taking an important step toward bolstering privacy for their users, ensuring that sensitive data remains protected.

Licensed Under MIT: Free to Use, Modify, and Share

We strongly believe in the power of open-source technology to drive innovation and advance privacy and freedom for all. That’s why our Tor library is licensed under the MIT license, meaning it’s free for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. We want to create a world where privacy-enhancing technology is accessible to all, without barriers or gatekeepers.

Whether you’re an independent developer or part of a larger team, our Tor library is there for you to integrate, experiment with, and build upon. Together, we can continue advancing the possibilities of secure and privacy-focused technologies.

Explore the Tor Library and Start Building

We invite developers from all walks of life—whether you’re passionate about Bitcoin, privacy, or decentralized applications—to dive into our Tor library and start building. We’ve made it as easy as possible to get started, and we’re excited to see how the community uses this tool to enhance privacy in their projects.

To get started, you can find our open-source Tor library on GitHub:

GitHub Repository: Foundation Devices Tor Library

Let’s work together to build tools that make the digital world more private, secure, and free for everyone. At Foundation, we believe in a future where privacy is a right, not a luxury, and we’re excited to continue building that future—one open-source tool at a time.

Foundation Updates: March 2024

Posted on April 2, 2024 - 2:26 pm by

🚀 Beyond the Launch: Our New Digital Home and More!

Welcome to our March edition of Foundation Updates! This month has been a standout, marked notably by the launch of our new website. Beyond this, we have a host of exciting developments to share. So, let’s catch up and dive into what’s been happening at Foundation HQ. 🫡

This Month at Foundation

Say hello to: Foundation.xyz

As we look back on the month of March, one of the most thrilling updates has been the launch of our new digital home 🏠. Moving beyond our familiar ‘Devices’ identity, we’ve stepped into a broader realm, reflecting our commitment to pioneering freedom tech. This new website isn’t just a change of address; it’s a symbol of our growth and the exciting future that lies ahead.

During our website launch week, we took to social media with a series of exciting events, from Easter egg hunts to special giveaways. We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our community for your active participation and valuable feedback.

Our CEO, Zach recently gave us some insight into the website’s design journey. He talked about how the design process was carefully thought out and implemented, providing insights into the creative decisions that shaped our new online home.

Now, let’s see how March treated us in terms of our latest releases. 👇🏻

Product Updates 🔥

Envoy v1.6.0

It’s here! Envoy 1.6 officially launched early March, bringing with it a range of new features.

  • Full “replace-by-fee (RBF)” control is here!
  • When you set a custom name for your Passport, now that name will show up automatically in the Devices tab on Envoy.
  • Drastically improved address and amount display per the Bitcoin Design standards. Sexy and intuitive!
  • Improved Tor performance on iOS (and some Android vendors), especially when it comes to getting fiat exchange rates.
  • Envoy translated to Catalan thanks to our friends over at @bcnbitcoinonly! Special thanks to @insatwetrust, in particular!

Read more 👉 Full Envoy Release Notes v1.6

 

DID YOU KNOW? We have an exclusive beta program at Foundation, offering you the opportunity to be among the first to test and experience any new releases for Passport or Envoy. Gain access to our Telegram group and be among the first to test-drive any new releases. You’ll have the chance to provide valuable feedback and even earn sats for any bugs you may find.

Learn more here.

Meet the Foundation Team 👥

Discover where our team has been making waves in the public eye this March! We’ve recently joined a few podcasts & events – take a look below!

NOTE: Passports are now available for purchase in person at PubKey! This new option offers a convenient way for you to get your hands on a Passport directly.

  • Seth For Privacy made an appearance at the Finny Forum. Missed the live action? No worries – you can catch up with the event’s highlights by watching the live feed here.
  • Bitcoin QnA joined in on the Ungovernable Misfit podcast.
  • Seth for Privacy featured in the Expat Money Show speaking about: The role of Freedom tech in personal security. Check it out here.

#21tohalving is here : 🎊

Get ready for an extraordinary event on Bitcoin Twitter! We’re joining forces with 20 incredible Bitcoin teams for a countdown to the Bitcoin halving. Imagine 21 days of non-stop excitement, featuring 21 dynamic teams, each bringing a unique prize daily, all leading up to a grand prize on the halving day itself.

A huge thank you to all the participating teams for making this possible. Good luck to everyone diving into this 21-day adventure – let the countdown begin.

Product Review and Photo of the Month 🤩

Each month, we select one of our users’ reviews and one photo from social media to feature in our newsletter. Your experiences and stories are what keeps us building, and we’re grateful for your ongoing support. Keep sharing your moments with us, and you could be the next one in our newsletter!

Photo: How beautiful 😍 with thanks to AULAN

 

Review:

What we’re working on 🛠️

  • Envoy 1.6.1 with improvements to enlarged display and text sizes.
  • Hard at work on new products to continue expanding our freedom tech offerings! If only we were allowed to share what we’re seeing internally 👀

Conclusion

That wraps up our March edition of Foundation Updates – thank you for joining us, stay tuned for more next month. In the meantime, for daily updates and insightful content you can:

🐦Follow us on Twitter

🟣 Follow us on Nostr

🌐 Subscribe to our Newsletter

💬 Join our community support group on Telegram

With love from all at team Foundation 🧡