How to Use the Zodl Wallet: Setup, Recovery Phrase, Shielding and the Ironwood Migration

Zodl is the Zcash wallet formerly called Zashi, and this guide walks through its main flows using Zodl's own Help Desk: creating a wallet, backing up and restoring the recovery phrase, receiving and shielding ZEC, the privacy settings, and the migration from the Orchard pool to Ironwood. We only describe app steps that the official articles describe.

What is Zodl, and is it the same as Zashi?

Zodl is a self-custody mobile wallet built for shielded Zcash. Zodl announced on February 16, 2026 that Zashi was becoming Zodl, after the wallet's team left Electric Coin Company in January 2026 and formed the Zcash Open Development Lab. It says the wallet, team and recovery phrase stay the same and users do not need to download a new app or move funds. Our wallet comparison covers the background.

Zodl lists the App Store, Google Play, F-Droid and GitHub releases for Android, and mentions no desktop version. Its site describes shielded payments, swaps and cross-chain payments through NEAR Intents, Keystone hardware-wallet support and encrypted notes; this guide covers only the basics. To compare it with other wallets, see our wallet directory and the guide to choosing a wallet.

How to create a Zodl wallet

Zodl's article "Creating your Zodl wallet" gives these steps:

1. Install Zodl from one of the listed sources.
2. Open it and tap Create new wallet.
3. To receive your first ZEC, tap Receive and use either a shielded or a transparent address.
4. Optional: Zodl Swaps can convert a coin or token supported by NEAR into shielded ZEC.
5. After your first ZEC arrives, the app prompts you to back up your recovery phrase.

Because the phrase is the only way back into your funds, treat step 5 as mandatory, not optional.

Your recovery phrase: back it up first

The recovery phrase is 24 words in a specific order, plus an optional block height called the wallet birthday. It is generated when you create the wallet and is what recovers your ZEC if your phone is lost or the app is uninstalled. Zodl states that it has no access to the phrase and cannot recover your funds without it. Our glossary explains the idea in general.

According to Zodl's backup article (last updated February 24, 2026):

• Where to find it: tap the ... menu, then More, Advanced Settings, Zodl Recovery Phrase.
• How to store it: write it on paper and keep it somewhere secure. Do not screenshot or photograph it, and do not store it digitally. A steel backup is mentioned for durable storage.
• Who may see it: anyone with the phrase can spend your ZEC and see your transaction history.
• Scams: Zodl never asks for your phrase; anyone who does is scamming you or impersonating Zodl.
• Before a reset: back it up before resetting Zodl, because you cannot view it afterwards.

How to restore a Zodl wallet

Zodl's recovery article (last updated September 28, 2026) lists these steps:

1. Tap Restore existing wallet on the first screen.
2. On the Restore screen, enter your 24-word phrase in the correct order.
3. Enter your wallet birthday height. If you did not record it, tap Estimate block height and pick the month you first used the wallet. The birthday lets Zodl skip searching blocks from before you created the wallet, which speeds up syncing.
4. Choose whether to enable Tor while syncing, which improves network privacy but slows syncing.
5. Choose whether to keep the screen active while syncing.
6. Wait for syncing to finish: the wallet is ready when the syncing widget disappears and your balance appears.

Two warnings from the article: if the Next button does not appear or cannot be pressed, the phrase is probably wrong, and Zodl must stay open with the phone unlocked for syncing to progress. If a restore stalls, see our wallet troubleshooting guide.

Receiving ZEC and depositing from an exchange

Zodl's article on receiving addresses (last updated October 5, 2026) says the shielded address changes every time you open the Receive screen. This is a privacy measure, so that activity cannot be linked across services. Every address it generates stays valid, may be reused, and funds sent to any of them are recovered after a restore.

Most exchanges only accept transparent addresses for withdrawals. For an exchange deposit, the Help Desk (last updated February 24, 2026) describes this path:

1. Tap Receive, then Transparent Address, then QR Code.
2. Tap Copy Address.
3. Withdraw ZEC from the exchange to that transparent address.
4. When the deposit arrives, Zodl shows a transparent balance. Tap Shield to move the funds into your shielded balance.

Zodl warns that deposits to a transparent address are public, like Bitcoin. For the difference between the two kinds of address, see our article on shielded vs transparent transactions and the glossary entries for transparent addresses and shielding.

How to shield ZEC, and which pool it goes to

Zodl requires ZEC to be shielded before it can be spent. The Help Desk article on shielding says:

1. On the wallet's main screen, tap Shield on the prompt.
2. In the pop-up with the shielding details, confirm.
3. Zodl creates an internal transaction that moves your funds from the transparent address.

The funds then need 10 blockchain confirmations before they are spendable. A separate article ("When are funds spendable?", April 7, 2026) adds that incoming ZEC needs 10 confirmations and change from your own spends needs 3, and that you can check the amount available on the Send screen, where a Spendable line appears below the total balance.

Zodl also advises treating shielded ZEC as a store of savings rather than a pass-through: shielding a deposit and sending the same amount out shortly afterwards creates a pattern that is easy to spot.

Which pool does Shield use today? Unclear

The shielding article, last updated April 7, 2026, says the funds move "to the Orchard shielded pool" and does not mention Ironwood. Orchard has since changed. Zodl's article "What is the Ironwood shielded pool?" (July 27, 2026) says Ironwood activated at block 3,428,143 with the NU6.3 upgrade, that Orchard can no longer receive payments, and that its only way out is into Ironwood. Our Ironwood status article covers the upgrade itself.

Those two statements do not fit together for a transparent-to-shielded move made today, and we found no newer official page that resolves it. We therefore do not say which pool Shield targets. If it matters to you, tap your balance on the main screen: Zodl's migration walkthroughs say this shows a breakdown across all pools.

Privacy features worth knowing

• Tor. Zodl's Tor article (February 6, 2026) says Tor adds protection for your IP address by routing exchange-rate requests, transaction sending, transaction data retrieval and third-party API connections through Tor. To enable it: ... menu, More, Advanced Features, Beta: Tor Protection, Enable, Save changes. It is slower, and disabling Tor turns off currency conversion. The article suggests enabling it only where Tor is permitted in your jurisdiction.
• Memos. Zodl says memos are encrypted messages attached to shielded transactions: up to 512 characters, readable only by the recipient in the Activity panel, and impossible with transparent addresses. The protocol limit is 512 bytes, so text with accents or non-Latin letters can fit less; see our memo field explainer and the glossary.
• Rotating addresses. The shielded receiving address changes as described above.

The Ironwood migration in Zodl

Ironwood is the shielded pool introduced by NU6.3. Zodl's article "Ironwood: steps for Zodl users" (last updated August 7, 2026) says Orchard is Zodl's default pool and that two things matter:

1. Update Zodl. Without a current version the wallet will not sync and you cannot send funds.
2. Migrate Orchard funds to Ironwood. Zodl shows a migration prompt if you hold an Orchard balance. If you dismiss it, it reminds you the next time you open the app.

There is no deadline

Zodl says Orchard funds "do not expire", stay spendable, and migration is "not an urgent necessity". If you do nothing your funds remain safe, but you still need the app update. Receiving addresses do not change, and swaps, CrossPay and Flexa payments keep working whether or not you migrate. Zodl describes the turnstile as the rule that a pool cannot release more ZEC than has entered it, and says there is no evidence that any user funds were affected by the Orchard flaw behind the upgrade.

Choose how to migrate

Zodl offers three ways:

• Migrate with Privacy (recommended): your balance is split into several transfers spread over time, and Zodl offers to route them through Tor.
• Immediately: the whole balance moves in one transaction. It is faster, but the full amount becomes public.
• Manual (self-migration): you send funds to a shielded address of your own outside the migration tool. Zodl calls it equally safe but less private than the tool.

Moving funds between pools makes the amount public on the blockchain, not the sender or recipient. Without Tor or a trusted VPN, your IP address can be linked to the migration amounts.

The walkthrough, step by step

The Android and iOS articles (August 7 and August 11, 2026) describe the same flow with a few differences. In short:

1. After updating, tap Migrate on the migration prompt.
2. Choose Migrate with privacy (or the immediate option).
3. Read the summary screen, then enable Tor when prompted. Zodl strongly recommends it, and suggests a trusted VPN if Tor is not legal where you live.
4. Allow notifications. On Android you are also asked to allow background delivery: if you allow it, Zodl can broadcast transfers without the app open; if you deny it, migration pauses until you open the app. On iOS, Zodl works best when kept open and notifies you when the next step is ready.
5. Review the transfer plan, which lists each transaction and its approximate timing, tap Start migration and authenticate to sign the transactions.
6. Follow progress in the widget on the main screen (More shows each transfer). On iOS, if a transfer is waiting, Send now sends it, and the wallet waits about three minutes before syncing again.
7. When the widget reports completion, tap More for next steps. Migration moves standardised amounts, so a remainder can stay in Orchard. You can sweep it, which may be identifiable, or lock it locally so it is not spent by accident; the lock does not carry over if you import the wallet elsewhere.
8. Tap your balance on the main screen to see the breakdown across pools and confirm where your funds are.

If a transfer is marked "couldn't be sent", Zodl says it usually means the funds moved elsewhere or the transfer expired, and you can create a new transfer for the remaining balance. Migration progress is saved if you close the app. For help, Zodl asks you to email support@zodl.com and say where in the flow you are.

Manual self-migration

Zodl's self-migration article is written for users of an earlier app version, before the migration tool, and says the method is as safe as the tool but less private. Its steps include keeping Tor on, sending a small test amount of about 0.001 ZEC to your own shielded address and checking the pool breakdown, then sending the rest. It warns that Zodl spends Ironwood funds first: a transfer no larger than your Ironwood balance does not touch Orchard and costs a fee for nothing. Because app versions changed, check the current article before using this route.

One more fact from Zodl: the migration will never reach 100 percent because some coins are permanently inaccessible, and a figure below 100 percent "does not indicate inflation or an exploit". The Ironwood design is also relevant to quantum planning: see our quantum resistance explainer.

Stay safe: official support only

Zodl lists support@zodl.com, its knowledgebase at support.zodl.com and github.com/zodl-inc for bug reports. It says it will never ask for your recovery phrase, and will never start a direct message on Discord, Telegram or X. We cannot verify claims about contacts beyond this list. Never share your phrase with anyone, including with us.

What is still unclear

• Which pool the Shield button targets today (see above).
• The send flow, fees and screen labels: Zodl's Help Desk has no send walkthrough that we found, so we describe none.
• Whether the Help Desk articles dated February to April 2026 still match the current app; several predate Ironwood.
• The version numbers and exact menu labels, which change with updates.

This guide will be updated when Zodl clarifies these points. New guides appear first in the ZecZcash Telegram channel.

Sources and methodology

Everything above comes from Zodl's official pages, read on October 12, 2026: the announcement Zashi is becoming Zodl (February 16, 2026), the product page at zodl.com, and these Help Desk articles at support.zodl.com: Creating your Zodl wallet, Backing up your Zodl recovery phrase, Recovering your Zodl wallet, Shielding transparent ZEC, When are funds spendable?, Depositing from exchanges, Why does my receiving address change?, Enabling Tor protection, Using the Zcash memo field, Moving your funds to Ironwood, What is the Ironwood shielded pool?, Migrating to Ironwood on Android and on iOS, Self-migration, What is the turnstile in Zcash?, When will the migration be complete? and How do I obtain support for Zodl?. We did not install or test the app for this guide, so we describe only what these pages state. Where two of them disagree or one is older than the Ironwood upgrade, we say so instead of choosing. For the network side, see our Network Upgrade Tracker.