There are two components at play in the Tangem Wallet.
The first component is the Tangem device—a pack of two or three Tangem cards or the Tangem Ring. The second component is the Tangem mobile app, which is available on iOS and Android. You can download it on any mobile device with an Android operating system higher than 6.0 or iOS 15.0 and higher with full NFC support, except iPhone 6/6s and iPhone SE (1st generation).
Please note that iPhone 7/7 Plus and some Android models do not have full NFC support. In this case, backing up your private keys on your phone is not available. You can use any other phone—iPhone 8 and up or Android 6.0+ with full NFC support—to create a backup and continue using the app on your device.
How these two components work together.
Tangem device
Tangem cards or Tangem Ring have an inbuilt secure element chip that functions as a microcomputer. When the device is manufactured, the chip generates its own key pair: the Kcardpriv private key and the Kcardpub public key.
These keys are unique to each Tangem device and are not connected to the future user's wallet. They're only required so that the Tangem device can prove its authenticity and tell the app that Tangem manufactured it.
The Tangem app
The Tangem app displays the functionalities of the Tangem wallet, including user portfolio and user controls for managing cryptocurrency.
How Tangem Wallet interacts with the mobile app
Tangem Wallet connects with your mobile app using Near-Field Communication (NFC). NFC is a wireless technology that enables devices to communicate when placed within a few centimeters of each other through magnetic field induction.
Get started in 3 steps:
- Download the Tangem app from the App Store or Google Play.
- Tap the card or ring to your smartphone.
- Follow the steps shown for activation.
The setup process takes no longer than three minutes.
You don't have to worry about losing your phone or resetting the Tangem app because your assets are on the blockchain and their private key is stored in the wallet’s chip.