Monero in Cake Wallet
Cake Wallet began as a Monero wallet in 2018 and still offers one of the fullest Monero feature sets on a phone: 16-word Polyseed, 25-word and 12-word BIP39 seeds, automatic subaddresses, accounts, view-only wallets, custom nodes and hardware wallet support. Back up your seed (and, for 25-word seeds, the restore height) before you receive any XMR.
Quick steps
- Create the wallet. Open Cake Wallet, choose to create a new wallet and pick Monero. Keep Polyseed unless you need a 25-word or BIP39 seed.
- Back up the seed. Write the seed on paper, in order, and store it offline. For a 25-word seed also write down the restore height.
- Wait for the green dot. Keep the app open until the wallet is fully synced before you share an address or send.
- Share a subaddress. Tap Receive. Cake Wallet shows a fresh subaddress starting with 8; give each payer their own.
- Send with the right fee. Paste the address, check it in full, keep the Automatic fee level and confirm.
Monero (XMR) is the coin Cake Wallet was built for. The app launched for the iPhone in January 2018, and Cake Labs also publishes a separate Monero-only app, Monero.com, from the same code (compare them in Monero.com vs Cake Wallet). Version 6.5.0 (October 2026) ships with Monero v0.18.5.3 (Cake Wallet release notes, 2026).
Seed types
When you create a Monero wallet, Cake Wallet offers three seed formats. Advanced Settings on the same screen also lets you add a seed passphrase, an extra word or phrase that you must keep as carefully as the seed.
| Seed | Words | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Polyseed (default) | 16 | Stores the wallet's creation date, so restores start near the right block without a separate height |
| Legacy Monero seed | 25 | Works in almost every Monero wallet. Write down the restore height with it |
| BIP39 | 12 (or 24) | The only Monero option that can join a wallet group with other coins |
A BIP39 Monero wallet is a Cake Wallet convention, not a Monero standard. Cake Wallet derives the key at path m/44'/128'/0'/0/0 and turns it into a normal Monero spend key. To restore it in another Monero app, open Recovery & Keys: a 12-word wallet shows the matching 25-word seed and restore height on a Legacy tab, while a 24-word wallet only offers the private view and spend keys (Cake Wallet docs, 2026). Our seed type checker tells you what a word count means.
Restore height
When you restore a Monero wallet, the app has to scan the blockchain for your transactions. The restore height tells it where to start. Too high and you miss older payments; too low and the sync just takes longer. Polyseed handles this for you. For 25-word and BIP39 seeds, use the restore height calculator and the full guide in Cake Wallet restore height.
Addresses, subaddresses and accounts
A Monero wallet has one main address starting with 4 and as many subaddresses as you like, starting with 8. All of them belong to the same seed. Cake Wallet generates a fresh subaddress automatically by default, so each payer sees a different address and outsiders cannot link the payments. You can turn off Auto generate subaddresses in the privacy settings and label addresses by hand instead.
Accounts split one wallet into separate balances, each with its own subaddresses, for example "savings" and "spending". Open Settings, then Monero Settings, then Accounts. Accounts cannot be deleted, only archived. Details are in subaddresses and accounts.
Syncing and nodes
Monero wallets scan every new block on your device, which keeps your keys private but takes time on a phone. A green dot at the top of the home screen means the wallet is synced. Cake Wallet says to wait for a full sync before sending, because balances can be wrong and sending is blocked until then (Cake Wallet docs, 2026). If the sync stalls, switch node or network; see Cake Wallet not syncing.
You can use Cake Wallet's default nodes or your own. Running your own node, or connecting over Tor, means no third party sees which node requests come from your wallet. See custom nodes and Tor in Cake Wallet. Version 6.5.0 moved Cake's Monero onion node to a new address, so users who had selected the old one need to select it again.
Cake Wallet documents a background sync option that keeps Monero wallets up to date while the app is closed. In the current source code this setting is offered on Android.
Fees and locked funds
Monero has five fee levels in Cake Wallet: Slow, Automatic (the default, which Cake recommends), Medium, Fast and Fastest. They map to the standard Monero priorities, so Medium equals "normal" and Fastest equals "priority" in the official command-line wallet (Cake Wallet docs, 2026). Cake Wallet itself charges nothing to send or receive; see Cake Wallet fees.
Monero locks received funds and change for about 10 blocks, roughly 20 minutes. If part of your balance shows as unavailable straight after a payment, this is normal. Since 6.5.0, a payment large enough to need splitting into several transactions is stopped with a message suggesting you first send a smaller amount to yourself to combine your funds.
View-only wallets and proving payments
A view-only wallet needs your main address and private view key, plus a restore height if you have one. Restore from keys and leave the private spend key blank. It shows incoming payments but cannot spend, and Cake Wallet warns that balances are usually inaccurate because some outgoing transactions do not appear.
Recipient addresses are not stored on the Monero blockchain. Cake Wallet saves them on your device by default; if you untick Save recipient address in the privacy settings, you will not be able to prove a payment later.
Hardware wallets and Cupcake
Monero works with Ledger (since version 4.22.0, December 2024) and Trezor (since 6.2.0, June 2026). Cake's free Cupcake app can also act as an offline signer on a spare phone. See Ledger and Trezor and Cupcake.
Limits and caveats
- No testnet or stagenet: every Monero wallet in Cake Wallet holds real XMR.
- Exchanges and rules for Monero differ by country, and some platforms do not list it. Check what applies to you; this guide does not give legal advice.
- Cake Wallet never asks for your seed and never messages you first. Check your app with the download checker.
Frequently asked questions
Is Monero in Cake Wallet private?
Monero hides amounts, senders and receivers on-chain by default. Your node can still see your IP address unless you use your own node or Tor.
Polyseed or 25 words: which should I choose?
Polyseed is shorter and remembers its creation date. The 25-word seed works in more Monero wallets. Both are secure if you back them up.
Why do my Monero funds show as locked?
Monero locks received funds and change for about 10 blocks, roughly 20 minutes. They become spendable automatically.
Can I use my Cake Wallet Monero seed in Feather or Monerujo?
Yes for 25-word seeds. Polyseed works in wallets that support it, such as Feather. For BIP39 Monero seeds use the 25-word seed or keys shown in Recovery & Keys.
Does Cake Wallet support Monero on Ledger and Trezor?
Yes. Ledger since December 2024 and Trezor since June 2026.