How to set up a Blockstream Jade
I use a Jade, and this is the setup I follow, including the two checks I never skip: verifying the firmware and testing the seed phrase backup.
Buy the Jade from Blockstream's store and update the firmware before you create a wallet. Create a new wallet, write the seed phrase on paper, and pass the word check. The wallet is saved only after you connect a companion app over USB, Bluetooth, or QR and set a 6-digit PIN. Then load your written words as a Temporary Signer and confirm the fingerprint matches before you send real money.
Disclosure: I work at Blockstream, the company that makes the Jade wallets mentioned here. I joined after many years as a satisfied user. There are no affiliate links on this site.
Which Jade you have changes three steps
Blockstream sells three Jades, and it says every device runs identical open-source firmware and the same Blind Oracle security model. The menus and the seed phrase steps are the same on all three. The differences show up in how you check the device, how you update it, and whether you can sign without a cable.
| Jade (Classic) | Jade Plus | Jade Core | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera for QR signing | Yes | Yes | No |
| Genuine Check | Not available | Yes | Yes |
| Air-gapped firmware update | No | Yes, with a JadeLink USB drive | No |
| Published firmware hashes | Jade 1.1 list | Jade 2.0 list | Jade 2.0c list |
| My review | Jade review | Jade Plus review | Jade Core review |
The Jade Core has no battery, and Blockstream's launch post says to power it with a standard USB-C cable even when you pair a phone over Bluetooth. If you want to sign by QR code and keep the device off every cable, set up the original Jade or the Jade Plus.
Step 1: buy direct and run Genuine Check
Buy from Blockstream's store rather than a marketplace, so nobody else handled the device before you.
On a Jade Plus or Jade Core, the Blockstream app offers Genuine Check during setup. Each Jade Blockstream manufactures holds a unique private key whose public key Blockstream signed, and the check asks the device to prove it holds that key. If you set up with another app, Blockstream's web verifier runs the same challenge. A device that fails should go back to support unused. The original Jade cannot run this check, so on that model the firmware checks in Step 2 carry more weight.
Step 2: update and verify the firmware first
Blockstream recommends updating before you create a wallet. The current release is 1.0.41, dated August 22, 2026, and its changelog says it contains important security updates that all users should install. Blockstream also says a Jade that shipped with firmware older than 1.0.38 should be factory reset before or after its first upgrade, which is painless on a new device with no wallet on it yet.
- 1Pick an update path: the Blockstream app over USB on desktop, Blockstream's web upgrade portal in a browser that supports WebSerial, a JadeLink drive on the Jade Plus, or the command-line update script.
- 2Get firmware from those places only. Blockstream says Jade firmware is installed through the official Blockstream app or the official firmware pages, and impostors have emailed fake Jade firmware updates to owners. Those campaigns are on my security incident tracker.
- 3Approve the update on the Jade. Jade units only run firmware signed by Blockstream, so a file without that signature will not run.
- 4For a stronger check, save the file with the update script and compare its SHA-256 hash with the published hash for your model, using Blockstream's verification steps. The script's docs note that the firmware hash is shown on the Jade's screen before you approve the upload.
The firmware is MIT-licensed, and Blockstream documents how to rebuild it reproducibly so anyone can confirm the official binaries match the public source.
Step 3: create the wallet and write down the seed phrase
Choose Set Up Jade. Begin Setup is the short path, and Advanced Setup lets you pick the seed phrase length, add a BIP39 passphrase, and export a SeedQR. Choose Create New Wallet. Blockstream warns that restoring a seed phrase first made on a phone or computer gives you hardware signing but does not make the phrase itself any safer.
Write each word on paper, in order, away from cameras, and never photograph it. The Jade then asks you to pick words from your phrase to prove you wrote them down. To choose a length, see 12 or 24 words. To move the words onto metal later, see how to back up a seed phrase.
If you would rather not rely on any device's randomness, roll dice for the first 11 or 23 words and let the Jade calculate valid final words from Advanced Setup. Blockstream also lists the entropy sources the Jade mixes when it makes the phrase itself.
Step 4: connect an app and set the PIN
The seed phrase is not saved to the Jade until you connect a companion app and finish the PIN. Once the app finds the Jade, you create a 6-digit PIN on the device. Forget it or enter it wrong three times and you restore from the seed phrase. USB works with Android and desktop, Bluetooth with Android and iOS, and QR mode handles Bitcoin only, so Liquid assets need USB or Bluetooth.
The PIN is where the blind oracle comes in. Your PIN unlocks a secret split between the Jade and a server that, per Blockstream, stores only a hash of your PIN plus a nonce and never learns your keys or addresses. A stolen, locked Jade holds nothing a thief can spend. If the oracle ever goes away, you can still unlock with a SeedQR or your seed phrase, and you can run your own oracle on an uninitialized Jade.
Step 5: test the backup before you fund it
The Jade can check your written backup without erasing the saved wallet, using Temporary Signer:
- 1Unlock with your PIN and note the 8-character wallet fingerprint in the bottom right corner of the screen.
- 2Log out or reboot, open Options, and choose Temporary Signer.
- 3Type in your written seed phrase, plus your passphrase if you set one, and connect to your app.
- 4Compare the fingerprint. A match means your paper backup restores the same wallet your PIN unlocks.
Then send a small amount, wait for it to arrive, and move the rest with my guide to moving bitcoin to a hardware wallet.
Step 6: go air-gapped on the Jade or Jade Plus
With a camera, the Jade can sign without any cable. Pick QR as the connection method during Advanced Setup, then unlock with QR PIN Unlock or a SeedQR. For Sparrow, the Jade shows its xpub as an animated QR under Options, Wallet, Xpub Export, and Sparrow scans it with your webcam as an air-gapped hardware wallet. My Sparrow setup guide covers the rest, including connecting your own node.
A SeedQR is fast, but it is your whole seed phrase as a picture. Blockstream says anyone with access to your SeedQR can spend your funds if they know how to use it, so store it like the seed phrase.
Optional settings worth a minute
- Bluetooth is off by default. For no wireless at all, install the No-Radio firmware, which leaves out the Bluetooth drivers.
- A BIP39 passphrase opens a separate wallet behind the same seed phrase. Read my passphrase guide before you add one.
- A duress PIN deletes the encrypted wallet from the Jade when entered, so only your seed phrase can restore it. My duress PIN guide compares how other wallets handle this.
The Jade security record
In December 2025 Blockstream disclosed a flaw in Jade firmware 1.0.24 through 1.0.36 that a compromised computer or phone could reach over USB or Bluetooth. QR mode was never exposed, and Blockstream said it knew of no exploitation. 1.0.37 fixed it, and 1.0.38 blocked downgrades to affected versions. In 2023 Ledger's Donjon team showed that someone holding a Jade could recover its firmware decryption key with power analysis and plant malicious firmware. They did not report extracting a seed phrase.
Every Jade entry, phishing campaigns included, is on my security incident tracker. Three habits cover most of it: keep the firmware current, update only through Blockstream's own app or pages, and check every address and amount on the Jade's screen.
Next steps
With the backup tested, follow my guide to moving bitcoin to a hardware wallet for the exchange withdrawal and the test send. For ratings and the trade-offs between models, read my Jade, Jade Plus, and Jade Core reviews.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the Blockstream app to set up a Jade?
No. Blockstream says the Jade works as a standalone signing device with many wallet apps, and any supported companion app can finish the PIN setup. Genuine Check runs in the Blockstream app or on Blockstream's web verifier.
Should I update Jade firmware before setup?
Yes. Blockstream recommends it, and the current release, 1.0.41, carries security fixes. A Jade that shipped with firmware older than 1.0.38 should also be factory reset before or after that first upgrade.
What happens if I forget my Jade PIN?
Blockstream says that if you forget it or enter it wrong three times, you restore the wallet from your seed phrase. That is why Step 5 tests the written backup before you fund it.
Can the Jade Core sign with QR codes?
No. Blockstream's comparison lists no camera on the Jade Core, so it signs over USB-C or Bluetooth. For air-gapped QR signing, use the original Jade or the Jade Plus.
How do I check that my Jade is genuine?
On a Jade Plus or Jade Core, run Genuine Check in the Blockstream app during setup or on verify.blockstream.com. The original Jade does not support it, so verify the firmware hash against Blockstream's published list instead.