ZachXBT: Old iPhone beats hardware wallets for crypto storage

Crypto security is back in the spotlight, between quantum-computing anxiety and last month's Coldcard hardware wallet exploit. Blockchain investigator ZachXBT waded into the debate with a blunt take: dedicated hardware wallets are "complete garbage," and an old iPhone does the job better.

Writing on his Telegram channel, ZachXBT said he does not advise using hardware wallets for signing transactions or storing funds. "Much better to have a separate iPhone with its only purpose being to use as your hardware wallet," he wrote. He singled out Ledger's products for particular criticism, though he warned his smartphone idea is not for "low IQ" individuals.

The post drew reactions from several prominent crypto figures. Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm said he liked the overall concept but flagged a key shortcoming: no single mobile wallet app supports BIP39 passphrases. That extra layer of security lets a user add a word or string to their standard seed phrase, effectively creating a hidden wallet. "The actual security issue is someone in your house," Storm wrote on X. "Switching to a dedicated iPhone does not solve that." He urged mobile wallet developers to add BIP39 support.