Vechain’s mobile wallet app has an observe wallet function. This function allows you to view the transactions and holdings of a VechainThor wallet, without having ownership of the assets inside the wallet. This means you won’t have access to the private key of the wallet and are not able to create transactions.
The observe wallet function is a secure way to monitor your holdings using the mobile app, while your private keys and transactions rights are safely stored somewhere else (for example a nano ledger hardware wallet).
The result of an observed wallet is that even when your mobile is compromised, your funds will remain safe since no transaction can be done.
In this guide, I will show you step by step how to set up an observe wallet and how to use the observe wallet to manage your node and VTHO rewards.
Setting up the observe wallet
We will start by setting up the observe wallet.
Step 1: Start the observe wallet process
Start the Vechain mobile wallet app on the device on which you want to observe a wallet.
Go to Me > Manage Wallets > Import a wallet and select “Observe a wallet“.
Here you should enter the wallet address of the wallet you want to observe. Give the wallet a name so you can recognize it and accept the service agreement. Now click on Import.
Step 2: Get your authentication code
After you have selected Import, the App will verify the wallet address. If successful you will be given a 6 digits authentication code.
You will now have to fill this code in the wallet you want to observe, to prove you are indeed the owner of this wallet.
Step 3: Prove you are the owner of the wallet you want to observe
To prevent anyone from being able to observe wallets they don’t own, you now have to prove you are the owner of the wallet.
The wallet you want to observe can be stored on a ledger nano, or another phone you own that has the VechainThor wallet installed.
Step 3A: Authorizing a VechainThor mobile wallet
On the phone on which you have the wallet, you want to observe installed, open the VechainThor wallet. Go to Me > Manage Wallets, select the wallet you want to observe and click on “Observe a wallet Authorization“.
Now fill in the 6 digits authentication code you were given in the previous step and click on Generate Authorization Signature.
You will now be given an observe wallet authorization signature.
Step 3B: Authorizing a Ledger Nano S wallet
If you want to observe a wallet on your ledger nano S, we have to do the authorization using the VeForge vault. Go to https://vault.veforge.com/ and login.
Go to settings > Observe wallet Authorization.
Select the wallet you want to Observe (you will have 5 different wallets in your vault) and you will be given a QR code, which is the wallet address.
Open the VechainThor mobile wallet and navigate to ‘Import a wallet to Observe‘, scan the QR code to enter your wallet address (if you have followed this guide, you will already have done this in step 1).
The mobile wallet will now give you a 6 digits authentication code. Enter this code in the following screen:
You will now be given an authorization signature, which you can use in the next step.
Step 4: Sign the Authorization
Go back to the VechainThor wallet of step 1 and fill in the authorization signature of the previous step:
Now click on Verify signature. If you did all steps correctly you will get an “Observe wallet successful” message. Congrats, you have now set up your Observed wallet!
Manage your node using the observe function
Now you have working observe wallet in the mobile app we can use the mobile app to:
- Perform a VEN to VET token swap
- Setup a Node and claim the VTHO node rewards
Applying for a node is really simple, just go to the Rewards tab and click on Upgrade. If you meet the minimum required amount of 1,000,000 VET you will become a Strength Node after the initial maturity period of 10 days.
Click here to learn more about the various Vechain nodes and requirements.
If you have any questions about the observe wallet function or setup, feel free to leave a comment below!
I followed the instructions on the page and the Observe Wallet (ledger nano)set up perfectly, no issues. But once I got to the apply to upgrade node part, I click upgrade, then I click to confirm, a box pops up saying Contract Signature transaction fee 200 VTHO. I click next and it pops up a box saying Scan the QR code with your Cold Wallet and proceed after signing is completed. It shows a QR code and has a next button. If I click next it bring ups a Read Signature Data request where I can scan a QR code and says Signature data awaiting importing and has a box grayed out that says Send Transaction.
I have emailed the Vechain Support email and they just replied with a link to this page.
Update: Received a reply from Vechain Support…
“We are sorry to say that so far Ledger user can not upgrade x node yet.
For sure we will develop this feature soon.”
Incredible we are at 06/08/2019 and this problem still the same. WHAT HAPPENS VECHAIN FOUNDATION!!
same issue. sucks i thought i read you could upgrade to a node through the observe function
I have created VeForge Vault observe account but I cannot find where the step 4 for sending a transaction is (open the offline cold wallet) i have the… i can obtain the transaction code to be scanned by the cold wallet but cannot for life of me find where I’m supposed to scan the code that pops up on my phone? Is that in the Vault website somewhere? It says to go to the top right corner of homepage? What’s the homepage? I would love to have the security of using the Vault but so far I’ve nearly spent 3k in VTHO and 48 hours trying to get it to work please help me
I’m in the same boat guys. What the heck are you supposed to do when you get to the point where it says scan the QR code with your Cold Wallet?
same issue where it says scan the QR code with your Cold Wallet
“ This is such an excellent option for people like myself, that use more than one mobile wallet app. It will make managing things way easier!”
The observe wallet function in the VeChainThor iOS app no longer works with the desktop app Vechain Sync v1.3.0.
The old authorisation required to prove ownership for a wallet on a Ledger Nano S/X at https://vault.veforge.com/ is no longer available.
you can use https://manager.vechainstats.com now 🙂
Hi VeChain. There is a bug in the app, which does not allow me to change the password inside the wallet. Rather then updating the password the app generates an additional wallet with the new password, without transferring the coins…what to do?
I am having trouble. I installed the Vechainthor mobile app on my s8 plus. I created a wallet. I did the backup which generated the 12 seed words in pairs of three. I wrote these down and completed the backup process using said words. I then coppied the address of this wallet and went to my crypto.com app where I had 2605 vet in a vet wallet. I pasted vechain app wallet address into the send to this address space inside of the crypto.com app. Everything looked good other than charging me 100 vet to complete the transfer. I could access my wallet. I then lost my phone out in some remote woods never to be found again. At first I downloaded sync for desktop on Windows. I then went to the import wallet option using mnemonic phrase.. the wallet that was imported had nothing in it. So I tried a few more times with the same result. I then noticed that the wallet that I sent the vet to is different than the address on the wallet that was imported. How could this be? I know I have the words right because it does allow a wallet to be imported. And I only made one wallet when I set up the Vechainthor mobile app. I was able to get the address of the wallet that has the vet imported as an observed wallet. I’m confused as how to regain complete control of my asset. Please help!!!
Hello, I have installed the vechain app on my ledger nano x and it will not open. Any suggestions please ?
Hi can we cancel this function.
I just want send my VET in a CEX (binance, kraken…). But I can’t. Please. Thanks
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