At a predetermined block height, miners begin creating blocks with different rules. Some of these changes are consensual and the network simply upgrades as a unit, continuing the chain with new rules. Not all forks create new coins. Coinomi is committed to applying consensual upgrades for all supported coins.


Sometimes forks are changes are made by new developers with a different vision for the future of the coin, and this will cause a bifurcation of the blockchain. The original blockchain will continue on unaltered, but a new branch of the blockchain will split off. The new branch is a distinct blockchain with the same transaction history as the original one up until the fork, but then diverges from it. As a result of this process, a new cryptocurrency is born.

If you had coins in Coinomi at exactly the time of the fork (snapshot), or in a different wallet where you control the private keys to your addresses, read this to claim them: "Claiming your forked coins"


If you had a balance in an exchange at the time of the fork (snapshot), you were not in control of the coins, and cannot claim them using Coinomi. You will only be able to claim them if the exchange decides to start supporting the fork.


New coins derived from forks aren't automatically supported by Coinomi. The developers of these coins must officially contact us for integration. The list of forks that we support and the dates and block heights when they were split are:

  • Bitcoin Cash (BCH): August 1st 2017 (BTC block 478,558)
  • Bitcoin Gold (BTG): October 23rd 2017 (BTC block 491,407)
  • Litecoin Cash (LCC): February 18th 2018 (LTC block 1,371,111)
  • Callisto (CLO): March 5th 2018 (ETC block 5,500,000)
  • BitcoinSV (BSV): November 15th 2018 (BCH block 556,766)


Bonus questions:

Q: How do I get the coins in the wallet exactly in that block?

A: You don't need to do that (and shouldn't try to). You can transfer the coins at any time before that block is reached on the network. The important thing is to already have it confirmed in your wallet by that time.


Q: What if the transaction sending coins to Coinomi was still unconfirmed when the fork happened?

A: That transaction was not yet included in a block. So as far as the fork is concerned, it never happened. You will not be able to claim the forked coins from that transaction.


Q: I sent my coins to Coinomi before the fork (snapshot), now what do I do?

A: Get a coffee, read a book... Just wait until after the fork (snapshot) and you're good to go. Then follow the claiming instructions above after you receive the wallet update and the network is live.


Q: When can I move my coins?

A: You can spend or exchange your original coins one block after the fork (snapshot), and you will still be eligible for forked coins. Coinomi is one of the safest places to keep your coins before, during, and after a fork, as you are the sole owner of your private keys at all times. However, many suggest moving your original coins to a new address before claiming forked coins (in any provider). Even if you decide to follow this recommendation, there is no reason to move your coins out of Coinomi: It can be done simply by sending your original coins to a new "Receive" Coinomi address of that coin, before adding the forked coin wallet and claiming your forked coins. The privatekey for each address is different, therefore your original coins will be safe.


Q: Can I get forked coins from a paper wallet?

A: Yes, as long as the paper wallet had a positive balance at the time of the fork. Instructions can be found in the second link above.


Q: Can I sweep the forked coin from a paper wallet without sweeping the original coin?

A: Yes, you can sweep each coin separately. Simply go to "... / Sweep wallet" and choose which one you want to sweep. If there are any other coins in the wallet, they will remain untouched until you decide to sweep them. It is recommended to sweep the most valuable coin first. Note: this is only true for forks that implement replay protection. If a fork does not have replay protection, you should follow instructions to split them (BCH/BSV)


Q: What about all other forks you don't support?

A: Since you fully control your addresses, you will always be able to export your private keys into any compatible wallet software and claim the forked coin there, even if support is not available in Coinomi. Take your time to research about the new coin and that its wallet software is safe to use, forked coins are rife with scams (Nov 2017 BTG, Jan 2019 ETH/ETC). To claim the forks in the safest way possible, do this:

  1. Before the fork, for Ethereum-based coins, we recommend you add a new wallet for that coin from "+coins" and send your funds to it. Add a wallet that was never used before, don't reuse wallets whose private key was already used on a different fork.
  2. After the fork, in Coinomi send all funds to yourself into your current "receive" address. For Ethereum-based coins, send your funds back to the original address. This way, in case there are any security issues with the forked coin's wallet, the original coins will be safe. Note that this will reduce privacy by linking different addresses to a single owner.
  3. After the transaction above is confirmed, follow these instructions to get the private keys of the addresses where your funds were. You can easily see which addresses were funded by checking on a block explorer the inputs of the transaction of the step above.
  4. Install the forked coin's official wallet.
  5. Import the private keys obtained in step 3 into the new wallet. You should be very careful when dealing with private keys or recovery phrases. Anyone who has access to them can steal your funds. Never share them with anyone. Only input private keys into software you fully trust with your coins. We do not recommend importing funds by directly inputting your Coinomi recovery phrase. This is a security risk and could give the wallet software access to all your coins, not only the forked ones you are trying to claim.