Blockstream Jade Plus: Mobile Airgapped Setup & Blockstream App Guide

Prerequisites & Initial Preparation

Before starting, make sure you have:

• A configured Blockstream Jade Plus hardware wallet with your PIN set (see my desktop setup guide if initializing for the first time).
• The official Blockstream App (formerly Blockstream Green) installed on your iOS or Android device.
• Your seed phrase securely written down offline.

Step 1: Connecting via Airgapped QR Mode

While the Blockstream app supports Bluetooth and USB-C connections, we will ignore those options in favor of pure optical airgap to eliminate any radio or physical vector.

1. Open the Blockstream app on your smartphone.
2. Tap Set up a new wallet at the bottom of the screen.
3. Select Connect Jade, and then tap Connect Jade again.
4. Skip both the USB and Bluetooth options and tap Connect via QR at the bottom.
5. Select QR PIN Unlock. This will activate your phone's camera viewfinder.

Step 2: Unlocking the Device with the Blind Oracle

Now we perform the two-way optical handshake between the Jade Plus and the Blockstream app to decrypt the temporary session keys:

1. Power on your Jade Plus and select the QR Code Method.
2. Select QR PIN Unlock and press Continue.
3. Enter your device PIN using the top navigation buttons and Enter key. (Tip: If the QR code is hard to scan in certain lighting, you can navigate to Options to adjust QR density and frame rate).
4. The Jade screen will display a challenge QR code. Hold your phone over the Jade screen to scan it with the Blockstream app camera.
5. The Blockstream app calculates the blind oracle response and immediately generates a return QR code on your phone screen.
6. On your Jade, press the checkmark button to open its camera, and scan the QR code displayed on your phone.
7. Your Jade Plus screen will immediately update to show Session: Active. The private keys are now decrypted into volatile memory for this session.

Step 3: Exporting Xpub & Importing the Wallet

Next, we import the extended public key (xpub) into the Blockstream app so your phone can watch your balances and construct unsigned transactions.

1. On your Jade Plus, navigate to Options > Wallet > Export Xpub.
2. Select Single-Sig with the default derivation path (Native SegWit / BIP84). The Jade will display the xpub QR code.
3. In the Blockstream app on your phone, tap Continue to bring up the camera scanner.
4. Scan the Jade's xpub QR code with your phone.
5. The app immediately imports your account, loads your transaction history, and displays your current Bitcoin balance.

Step 4: Receiving & Sending Bitcoin Airgapped

With the watch-only coordinator wallet imported, sending and receiving funds is seamless:

Receiving Bitcoin

Tap the Receive tab in the Blockstream app, select your Bitcoin account, and copy or display the address to receive funds. You can verify this address matches your Jade screen by going to Options > Wallet > Verify Address on the device.

Airgapped Transaction Signing

1. In the app, tap Send / Transact.
2. Paste your destination address (or scan the recipient's QR code), specify your satoshi amount, and adjust your miner fee rate.
3. Tap Send and review the summary.
4. Tap Sign with Jade. The app generates an unsigned PSBT animated QR code on your phone screen.
5. On the Jade main menu, choose Scan QR Code to activate the camera and scan your phone's screen.
6. The Jade displays the destination address, the amount, and the network fee on its screen. Thoroughly verify every detail, scroll to the checkmark, and confirm to sign.
7. The Jade displays the signed transaction QR code.
8. In the Blockstream app, tap Next to open the camera scanner and point your phone at the Jade screen.
9. The signature is verified, and the app broadcasts the transaction directly to the Bitcoin network.

Supercharging Privacy: Tor & Private Node Connections

One of the best features of the Blockstream app is its built-in networking customization. You do not need to leak your IP address or query Blockstream's default servers:

Best Practices & Final Thoughts

The Blockstream Jade Plus mobile setup offers a stellar balance of convenience and rigorous airgapped security. If you are using the Jade Plus as a single signer, I strongly recommend generating your initial seed entropy with physical dice rolls or coin flips.

However, the true superpower of the Jade Plus is as a co-signer in a multi-vendor multisig configuration. Combining the Jade's optical airgap and stateless capabilities with other distinct hardware signers ensures that your Bitcoin remains protected against single points of failure, vendor supply-chain risks, or firmware flaws.