ERA User Guide

Device settings and firmware updates

Bitcoin-only firmware

You will haveYou know what Bitcoin-only firmware changes on the device, can tell which firmware your ERA runs, and can switch between Bitcoin-only and Multichain from the app.
Time15 min
You needERA device charged above 40 %, ERA companion app, phone with NFC

ERA comes in two firmware builds. Multichain contains every supported network. Bitcoin-only contains the Bitcoin code and nothing else: the other networks are left out of the build, not switched off. It is the same device and the same seed words; only the menus get shorter.

Before you start

  • People choose Bitcoin-only for less code on the device and simpler screens: DEPOSIT opens the Bitcoin address at once, and Link lists Bitcoin apps only. Source: era-wallet.com

  • Both builds are official. Switching is a normal firmware update from the app, in either direction, as often as you like. Source: era-wallet.com

  • Your wallets stay on the device through the switch (see Part 2). A wallet on Bitcoin-only firmware holds the same Bitcoin as on Multichain; coins on other networks are not shown until you switch back, and nothing about them changes.

Steps

Part 1: Tell which firmware you have

No screen names the firmware build. Two rows do.

  1. On the main menu, tap SETTINGS. The main menu looks the same on both builds.

    Main menu with SCAN QR, WALLETS, RECOVERY MANAGER, SETTINGS and 2FA on Bitcoin-only firmware.
    ERA: Main menu (Bitcoin-only firmware).

  2. Tap Updates.

    SETTINGS list, first page: Updates, Authenticity, NFC Connectivity, Display, Vibration.
    ERA: Settings.

  3. Count the rows on UPDATES. Bitcoin-only firmware lists Firmware and Bootloader only; Multichain firmware has a third row, ERA Lens Database.

    UPDATES page on Bitcoin-only firmware: Firmware 0.9 and Bootloader 0.1, no ERA Lens Database row, UPDATE and BACK buttons.
    ERA: Updates (Bitcoin-only firmware).
The version text on a real device

On a device, the Firmware version on UPDATES and the Main Firmware version on SYSTEM VERSION end with (BTC Only) on Bitcoin-only firmware, for example 2.0.0 (BTC Only). Multichain firmware shows the bare number.

Image coming soon — ERA screen (device photo) — UPDATES page on Bitcoin-only firmware with the Firmware row reading "<version> (BTC Only)"

ERA: Updates, version text with the (BTC Only) suffix.

  1. Go back to the main menu and tap WALLETS.

    Main menu with SCAN QR, WALLETS, RECOVERY MANAGER, SETTINGS and 2FA.
    ERA: Main menu.

  2. Tap a wallet name.

    WALLETS list: QA2, Wallet_4, qa1, qa1-1 and the ADD WALLET button.
    ERA: Wallets.

  3. Tap DEPOSIT.

    Wallet screen for QA2 with SIGN and DEPOSIT buttons.
    ERA: Wallet.

  4. Check what opens. On Bitcoin-only firmware the Bitcoin address appears at once; Multichain firmware shows the CHOOSE NETWORK list first.

    Deposit screen on Bitcoin-only firmware: QR code, a bc1q address and the Address-0 m/84'/0'/0'/0/0 button, no network name in the header.
    ERA: Deposit (Bitcoin-only firmware).

Part 2: Switch between Bitcoin-only and Multichain

The switch is a firmware update: you choose Bitcoin Only (or Multichain) in the app's settings, the app downloads that build, and the transfer over NFC is the same as any other update.

Note: Switching does not erase anything. The wallets on the device keep the same seeds and are all there after the update, in both directions.

  1. In the app, tap the Settings gear, then Update wallet.

    9:41
    Settings page of the app: General section, then Device settings with Update wallet, Authenticity Check, Verify app and Update device time.
    Phone: Settings.

  2. Under Configuration, tap Wallet type. It shows the build the app will download: Multichain or Bitcoin Only.

    9:41
    Update wallet page: Installed and Latest version, Configuration with Wallet type Multichain, What's new, and an Update device button.
    Phone: Update wallet.

  3. Tap Bitcoin Only or Multichain. The app drops any file it downloaded before, fetches the latest release of the chosen build and sets Firmware version to Latest.

    9:41
    Wallet type sheet over the Update wallet page, with the options Multichain, ticked, and Bitcoin Only.
    Phone: Wallet type.

Note: Beta channel is offered for Multichain only; the row disappears when Bitcoin Only is chosen.

  1. Tap Update device. Then follow Update the firmware over NFC, Part 2: on ERA tap SETTINGS > Updates > UPDATE > NEXT and lay the phone on the device.

    9:41
    Update wallet page with the Configuration section, What's new, and the Update device button at the bottom.
    Phone: Update wallet, Update device.

  2. When ERA shows SUCCESS after its restart, tap DONE and unlock. Repeat Part 1 to confirm the build.

What stays on the device: a firmware update replaces only the firmware. Your wallets and their seeds, multisig descriptors, 2FA accounts and settings are all still there afterwards, whichever direction you switch; nothing is erased. Source: Help Center

DESCRIPTORS list on Bitcoin-only firmware with TestMultisig2, 2 of 3 – P2WSH.
ERA: Bitcoin Multisig, Descriptors (Bitcoin-only firmware).

What is different on the device

ScreenMultichainBitcoin-only
Main menu, SETTINGS, RECOVERY MANAGER, 2FA—Same. No other setting changes.
DEPOSITCHOOSE NETWORK list firstBitcoin address at once. The sliders icon (DERIVATION PATH: Native SegWit, Taproot, Nested SegWit, Legacy) and CHANGE ADDRESS work as before.
Link in wallet settingsSET FILTER button; the full app listHeader CHOOSE WALLET, no filter; nine Bitcoin apps: ERA Wallet, OKX, Bitget Wallet, Nunchuck, BlueWallet, Sparrow, LetsExchange, Generic BTC, Multichain.
Multichain entry under LinkAsks SELECT CHAINSLinks Bitcoin straight away; no chain list.
SCAN QR and SIGNRequests from every supported networkBitcoin transactions (PSBT) and Bitcoin multisig. A request from another network ends on INVALID REQUEST.
Bitcoin Multisig—Same.
ERA LensRows on UPDATES and SYSTEM VERSION; separate database updateNo ERA Lens row and no ERA Lens update; the database decodes Ethereum and Solana contracts, which this build does not sign. The Bitcoin review page is unchanged.
Version text2.0.02.0.0 (BTC Only) on UPDATES and SYSTEM VERSION (device only).
App: Beta channelOfferedNot offered.

The deposit screen on both builds, for comparison:

CHOOSE NETWORK list on Multichain firmware, three pages: BTC, ETH, TRX, SOL, ADA and the remaining networks.
ERA (Multichain): Choose network, the page Bitcoin-only firmware skips.

The address options behind the deposit screen are the same on both builds — the sliders icon opens DERIVATION PATH, the Address-0 button opens CHANGE ADDRESS:

DERIVATION PATH on Bitcoin-only firmware: Native SegWit, Taproot, Nested SegWit and Legacy with their paths; no i button in the header.
ERA (Bitcoin-only): Derivation path.
CHANGE ADDRESS list on Bitcoin-only firmware: Address-0 ticked, Address-1 to Address-4 below, each with a bc1q address.
ERA (Bitcoin-only): Change address.

The Link list on both builds:

Link list on Multichain firmware, five pages with the SET FILTER button: ERA Wallet, OKX, Bitget Wallet, Metamask, Rabby and more.
ERA (Multichain): Choose wallet, with SET FILTER.
CHOOSE WALLET on Bitcoin-only firmware, two pages: ERA Wallet, OKX, Bitget Wallet, Nunchuck, BlueWallet, Sparrow, LetsExchange, Generic BTC, Multichain.
ERA (Bitcoin-only): Choose wallet, two pages, no filter.

The UPDATES page on Multichain firmware, with the ERA Lens row that Bitcoin-only firmware does not have:

UPDATES page on Multichain firmware: Firmware, Bootloader and ERA Lens Database rows.
ERA (Multichain): Updates.

SYSTEM VERSION under SETTINGS > About Device drops the ERA Lens row in the same way:

SYSTEM VERSION on Bitcoin-only firmware: Main Firmware 0.9, Bootloader 0.1, Bootstrapper 0.1, no ERA Lens row, BACK button.
ERA (Bitcoin-only): System version.

What a non-Bitcoin request looks like on Bitcoin-only firmware:

INVALID REQUEST page: the scanned QR code, "wallet mismatch or unsupported QR code" text, REPEAT and CANCEL buttons.
ERA (Bitcoin-only): Invalid request after scanning an Ethereum signing request.

Done

UPDATES shows the rows of the build you want (two rows on Bitcoin-only, three on Multichain), and DEPOSIT behaves to match: the Bitcoin address at once on Bitcoin-only, CHOOSE NETWORK on Multichain.

Trouble?

  • INVALID REQUEST after scanning a request from MetaMask, Rabby, Solflare or another non-Bitcoin app → the device runs Bitcoin-only firmware. Switch to Multichain (Part 2) to sign it.

  • The Link list has no MetaMask, Rabby or other non-Bitcoin app → same cause; the list on Bitcoin-only firmware is the nine Bitcoin apps.

  • The app says Bitcoin Only but UPDATES still shows ERA Lens Database → the update has not run yet. Wallet type only chooses which file the app downloads; the device changes after the NFC update.

  • The i pages on UPDATES still describe ERA Lens Database: on Bitcoin-only firmware → the info text is shared between the builds; there is no ERA Lens on this build.

  • The app offers no update after you change Wallet type → wait for the download to finish (the app fetches the other build first), and check that the phone is online.