Your seed phrase is your wallet. Anyone who reads those 12 or 24 words owns the money, from any device, forever. A screenshot puts them in the most-copied folder on your phone.
Do this first, before anything else
- Write the words on paper, in order, with a pen. Check each one against the screenshot twice.
- Store the paper somewhere fire and water can't reach easily. Many people use a metal backup plate.
- Only now, start deleting digital copies.
Find every copy
A single screenshot spreads further than you think:
- Photos, in Recents and the Screenshots album.
- Recently Deleted, for 30 days after you delete it.
- iCloud Photos, on every device signed in to your Apple Account.
- Shared albums and iCloud Shared Photo Library, if you ever added it.
- Chats where you sent it to yourself.
- Computer backups from Finder or iTunes.
Run Vaulteo's camera-roll check. It flags any photo with 12 or more recovery words in a row, including ones you forgot.
Decide whether to move your funds
Ask yourself one question: did this screenshot ever leave the phone?
- No, iCloud Photos was always off and you never shared it: delete it everywhere and keep your paper copy.
- Yes, or you can't tell: create a new wallet with a new seed phrase, write that one on paper only, and send your funds to it.
Keep a sealed copy only if you must
Some people want a digital backup for travel. If that's you, use Vaulteo's private camera to photograph the paper, so the shot goes straight into a vault and never touches Photos or iCloud. Use a vault with a strong pattern, and keep your paper copy as the master.