Cake Wallet today launched Cupcake, a free app that transforms retired Androids and iPhones into air-gapped, fully offline hardware wallets for Monero (XMR) and Bitcoin (BTC). The move aims to give hardware-level security to users who face cost, availability, or privacy barriers, without requiring new devices, shipping, or the sharing of personal data.
“If you have an old phone in a drawer, you already own a hardware wallet,” said Vik Sharma, Founder and CEO of Cake Wallet. “Just install Cupcake, create or restore your wallet, and you’re protected. No courier labels, no customs forms, and no one collecting your address.”
Repurpose, Protect, Preserve
Cupcake is designed to operate entirely offline: it requests zero network permissions, so private keys never leave the device. For users who want an extra layer of protection, Cake Wallet recommends factory-resetting a spare phone, disabling all radios, installing Cupcake, and creating or restoring the seed on that device.
The handset signs transactions offline; a view-only wallet on a daily-use phone or desktop then broadcasts signed transactions by scanning a QR code. Because the device looks like an ordinary phone, Cake Wallet says it avoids the attention dedicated hardware wallets can sometimes attract, strengthening operational security in high-risk environments.
Cake Wallet emphasizes that offline signing is optional. “This is not required to achieve privacy or security; keeping a non-restored device online with Cupcake and separate is fully secure. Offline signing is simply a stricter ‘best-practice’ option for those who want it,” the company notes.
“From Caracas to Kolkata, Cupcake brings true cold-storage security to places where dedicated devices are scarce, seized at customs, or priced far out of reach,” added Seth for Privacy, VP at Cake Wallet. “Repurposing an existing phone also keeps e-waste out of landfills, proving that privacy, security, and sustainability don’t have to be trade-offs.”
The public beta launches today with Monero and Bitcoin support. Cake Wallet says Litecoin (with Silent Payments and MWEB privacy enhancements) will follow in Q3 2025, while additional asset support, reproducible builds, and hardware-device integrations are planned for Q4 2025.
Cupcake is available for free on the App Store, Google Play, F-Droid, and as open-source APK and IPA packages on GitHub. The setup documentation and guides are published at docs.cakewallet.com/cupcake.
Founded in 2018, Cake Wallet bills itself as an open-source wallet focused on privacy, ease of use, and self-custody. The team says it has empowered over half a million users and has a history of bringing privacy-forward features, from Monero on iOS to Bitcoin Silent Payments and Litecoin MWEB, to mainstream mobile users.
