What is Zashi?
Zashi is the official Zcash mobile wallet developed by the Electric Coin Company (ECC), the organisation that created and maintains the Zcash protocol. Unlike third-party wallets, Zashi is built and maintained by the team directly responsible for Zcash's core development, which means it consistently supports the latest protocol features first, including Orchard shielded transactions, Unified Addresses (ZIP-316), and new network upgrades.
Zashi is available for both iOS and Android and is completely free and open source. The wallet is "shielded-first" by design — it defaults to the most private transaction type available and actively guides users toward keeping their ZEC in the shielded pool. For most users who are new to Zcash privacy, Zashi is the recommended starting point because its user experience has been designed around making shielded transactions accessible, not intimidating.
Key features of Zashi include: support for Orchard (the newest, most secure shielded protocol), Unified Addresses (which automatically handle both Sapling and Orchard receivers), a built-in shielding tool to move transparent ZEC into the shielded pool, an encrypted memo field for private messages attached to transactions, and a clean interface that shields the underlying cryptographic complexity from users who don't need it.
Zashi does not support transparent-to-transparent (t-to-t) transactions — this is intentional. If you need to send to a transparent address, Zashi will handle the deshielding automatically. This design decision reinforces the shielded-first philosophy.
Download and Install Zashi
Zashi is available on two mobile platforms. Desktop versions are not officially supported by ECC — for desktop usage, consider YWallet (available for Windows, macOS, Linux) which uses the same Zcash protocol.
iOS (iPhone / iPad): Open the Apple App Store, search for "Zashi Zcash Wallet", and look for the app published by "Electric Coin Company". The app icon is a distinctive Z shape. Tap Get and authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your Apple ID password. Zashi requires iOS 16 or later.
Android: Open the Google Play Store, search for "Zashi Zcash Wallet", and install the app published by "Electric Coin Company LLC". Zashi requires Android 10 (API level 29) or later. You may also install via the F-Droid open source app repository for a fully Google-free installation.
Important: Only install Zashi from the official App Store or Play Store listings by Electric Coin Company. There are fraudulent wallet apps in both stores that impersonate legitimate Zcash wallets to steal seed phrases. Verify the publisher name and app store reviews before installing any cryptocurrency wallet.
After installation, open the app. You will see the Zashi welcome screen with options to Create a New Wallet or Restore an Existing Wallet. If this is your first time, choose Create New Wallet.
Creating Your New Wallet
After tapping "Create New Wallet", Zashi generates a brand new set of cryptographic keys for your wallet. This process happens entirely on your device — no keys are transmitted to any server. The key generation is based on a 24-word BIP-39 seed phrase which serves as the root of your entire key hierarchy.
The wallet creation flow takes you through several screens:
- Privacy Notice: Zashi displays information about how it handles your data. The wallet itself is non-custodial — ECC never holds your keys or has access to your funds.
- Seed Phrase Display: Zashi shows your 24 seed words. This is the most critical screen in the entire setup process. Do not proceed past this screen until you have written every word down.
- Seed Phrase Verification: Zashi asks you to confirm several of the seed words in order. This is not optional — it prevents users from accidentally skipping the backup step.
- Wallet Name: You can optionally give your wallet a name. This is stored locally only and helps distinguish multiple wallets if you use several.
- Security Setup: Zashi will prompt you to set up a PIN or use biometric authentication (Face ID / fingerprint) to secure the app. Enable this — it prevents someone who picks up your phone from opening the wallet.
After completing these steps, Zashi begins its initial blockchain sync. This is normal — Zashi needs to download and scan the Zcash blockchain (specifically the shielded transaction data) to find any transactions belonging to your wallet. For a new wallet with no history, you can safely interrupt this sync and return later. The wallet marks your wallet birthday (the block height at which your wallet was created) so future syncs only need to scan from that point forward.
Securing Your Seed Phrase
Your 24-word seed phrase is the most important thing in your crypto security setup. It is the master key to every ZEC in your Zashi wallet — now and in the future. If you lose it and your phone is lost, stolen, or broken, your ZEC is gone permanently with no possibility of recovery. If someone else finds it, they can drain your wallet completely.
Here is the correct way to secure your Zashi seed phrase:
- Write it on paper with a pen. Number each word 1 through 24. Write clearly — "rn" and "m" can look similar, as can "1" and "l". Double-check every single word against what Zashi displays.
- Make two copies. Store them in separate physical locations — for example, one at home in a fireproof document safe and one at a trusted family member's home or a safety deposit box.
- Do not photograph it. Photos on your phone are often automatically backed up to iCloud, Google Photos, or other cloud services. A cloud backup of your seed phrase is an enormous security risk.
- Do not type it anywhere. Typing it into a computer, notes app, or messaging service creates a digital copy that is vulnerable to malware, cloud syncing, or service breaches.
- Do not share it. Zashi support, the ECC team, no legitimate organisation or person will ever ask for your seed phrase. Anyone who asks is attempting to steal your funds.
Consider engraving or stamping the seed words onto a metal plate if you hold significant value. Metal backups survive fires, floods, and physical damage that would destroy paper. Commercial metal seed backup products are available from various suppliers.
Your seed phrase also serves as your wallet recovery tool. If you install Zashi on a new phone, you select "Restore Existing Wallet" and enter your 24 words to restore full access to your funds. Zashi will re-scan the blockchain from your wallet birthday to find all historical transactions and calculate your current balance.
Receiving ZEC in Zashi
To receive ZEC, tap the Receive button (usually represented by a downward arrow or QR code icon) on the Zashi home screen. Zashi displays your Unified Address — a long string beginning with "u1" that encodes both your Orchard and Sapling receivers.
The Unified Address is the recommended address to share for all incoming ZEC in 2025. When someone sends to your UA, their wallet automatically selects the most private pool available — Orchard if supported, falling back to Sapling. You never need to manually manage which address type to use.
Zashi also shows a QR code of your address for easy scanning. You can copy the address to the clipboard or share it directly via your device's share sheet to messaging apps, email, or other communication channels.
Important for exchange withdrawals: Most centralised exchanges do not yet support sending to Unified Addresses or z-addresses directly. If you are withdrawing from an exchange to Zashi, check whether the exchange supports shielded withdrawals. If not, tap on your address in Zashi to reveal your transparent t-address as well, and use that for the exchange withdrawal. Then shield your funds within Zashi as described below.
Shielding Your Funds
If you received ZEC to your transparent t-address (most commonly because you withdrew from an exchange), you will see a "transparent balance" in Zashi alongside your shielded balance. To protect your privacy, you should shield this balance as soon as it is confirmed on the blockchain.
Zashi makes this straightforward. From the home screen, navigate to Transfer (sometimes labelled as Send/Receive depending on your app version). Look for a "Shield" option or "Send to Shielded Address." Zashi will display your total transparent balance and ask you to confirm the shielding operation.
When you confirm, Zashi generates a zk-SNARK proof on your device and broadcasts a t-to-z transaction to the Zcash network. This transaction moves your transparent ZEC into the Orchard shielded pool. The transaction itself is visible on the public blockchain (anyone can see ZEC leaving your t-address and entering the shielded pool), but the amount entering the pool is the last public information — all subsequent z-to-z transactions are completely private.
The shielding transaction requires 1–3 confirmations (approximately 75–225 seconds) before your shielded balance is spendable. During this time, Zashi shows a "pending" balance. Wait for the confirmation count to reach at least 1 before considering the funds shielded.
Sending Shielded Transactions
Once your ZEC is in the shielded pool, all z-to-z sends are fully private. Navigate to Send in Zashi. You will see fields for the recipient address, amount, and an optional memo.
Enter the recipient's Unified Address (starting with "u1") or Sapling z-address (starting with "zs"). Do not send to a t-address unless necessary — t-address sends deshield your ZEC and reveal the amount publicly on the blockchain.
Enter the amount you wish to send. Zashi automatically deducts the network fee from your balance or adds it on top, depending on settings. The standard fee is extremely low — typically 0.00001 ZEC or approximately $0.001 at typical prices.
The Memo field is optional but one of Zashi's most powerful features. You can attach up to 512 bytes of encrypted text to any shielded transaction. This memo is encrypted end-to-end and readable only by the recipient. Use it to include invoice references, notes, or messages. The memo travels with the transaction permanently and is part of the shielded data — neither the content nor the existence of the memo can be seen by outside observers.
After entering all details, Zashi displays a confirmation screen showing the recipient address (truncated for readability), amount, fee, and memo if any. Review carefully — cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible. Tap Confirm, and Zashi generates the zk-SNARK proof locally and broadcasts the transaction.
Zashi Troubleshooting Tips
Zashi is a mature and stable wallet, but users occasionally encounter issues, particularly around blockchain sync. Here are the most common problems and their solutions:
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Balance not updating | Sync incomplete | Wait for sync or pull to refresh |
| Sync stuck for hours | Network issue or server lag | Settings > Rescan Blockchain |
| Transaction pending too long | Network congestion or fee too low | Wait; ZEC has fast blocks (75s) |
| Cannot send — insufficient balance | Transparent balance not shielded | Shield transparent balance first |
| Exchange withdrawal fails | Exchange doesn't support UA | Use your t-address for withdrawal |
| App crash on startup | Corrupted local data or old version | Update app; reinstall if needed (seed safe) |
The Rescan function is your primary troubleshooting tool in Zashi. If your balance appears incorrect or transactions are missing, navigate to Settings > Rescan Blockchain. This wipes the local block cache and re-downloads all shielded transaction data from your wallet birthday. A full rescan can take 10–60 minutes depending on your wallet age and internet connection speed, but it reliably resolves most balance and transaction display issues.
Light vs Full Node: Zashi connects to Lightwalletd servers operated by ECC rather than running a full Zcash node. This means sync is fast, but it does represent a privacy trade-off — the lightwalletd server learns your wallet birthday and IP address. For maximum privacy, run your own lightwalletd server or connect via Tor. Most users accept this trade-off for the convenience of mobile light-client sync.
Next steps: Learn about Zcash Unified Addresses, compare with other privacy wallets, or read our complete shielding tutorial.