Your 12 words

The 12 words are the key to your account. Why they matter, where to find them, and how to keep them safe.

Why they matter

Your account is not a password kept by someone else. It is a key kept on your phone. Your 12 words are that key, written as words.

With the 12 words, you can get your account back on a new phone: your name, your beans and your trust.
Without them, a lost or broken phone can mean a lost account.
Anyone who has your 12 words can use your account. Never share them, never type them anywhere except the BeanPool app or your own community's BeanPool web app, and never send them in a message. Nobody from BeanPool or your community will ever ask for them.

Write them down

Write the 12 words on paper, in order, and check the spelling.
Keep the paper somewhere safe, away from your phone.
A photo or screenshot of the words is easy for someone else to find. Paper is safer.

Where to see them again

Open Settings with the sliders button at the top of the screen. Then either:

Under Account & Identity, tap View Recovery Phrase. Type CONFIRM, tap Show Recovery Phrase, and pass your phone's lock screen check.
Or tap Account Protection, then Show My 12 Recovery Words. Tap Hide when you are done.

A second way back: a sign-in account

On the phone app you can also link a Google, Facebook or GitHub account (and Apple on an iPhone). If you lose your phone, that account together with your community's server can restore your account on a new phone. See "Getting your account back".

A linked sign-in account does not give you your 12 words back. Keep the paper as well.

In a web browser

The web app has no sign-in recovery. There, your 12 words are the only way back. Browsers can also clear saved data, so write the words down before you rely on the web app.