What is BitBox wallet and how does it work?

BitBox is a Swiss hardware wallet that stores the private keys for bitcoin and other coins on a small device instead of on a phone or computer. The current models are the BitBox02 and the BitBox02 Nova, and both work with a companion program called the BitBoxApp. This guide covers the crypto hardware wallet only, not other products that share the BitBox name.

Who makes BitBox and what is the BitBox02 Nova?

The company was known as Shift Crypto until May 31, 2023, when it adopted the BitBox name to match its product. It still uses Shift Crypto AG as its registered company name and is based in Switzerland.

The BitBox02 Nova is a newer version of the BitBox02, with first shipments planned for summer 2025. BitBox says it adds a glass OLED screen and Bluetooth for connecting to iPhones and iPads, which the original model did not support. Bluetooth runs on its own chip and can be switched off permanently. Both models come in a multi-coin edition and a bitcoin-only edition with reduced firmware.

How does the BitBox02 keep your crypto secure?

Like other hardware wallets, the BitBox02 signs transactions inside the device, so the keys are not exposed to the computer or phone it is plugged into. You confirm each transaction on the device's own screen.

BitBox describes a dual-chip design. The main chip runs open source firmware, while a separate secure chip guards against physical tampering and limits password guessing. On the Nova, a hardware counter enforces a limit of 10 failed password attempts. BitBox also lists a feature called Anti-Klepto, which is meant to stop compromised firmware from leaking key information through transaction signatures.

What can the BitBox app do?

As of October 2026, BitBox's product pages say the BitBoxApp runs on desktop, Android and iOS and lets users send, receive, buy and sell crypto. Listed features include coin control, Tor support, WalletConnect and connecting to your own Electrum server. Backups can be saved to a microSD card or written down as recovery words, which work like any seed phrase. The device can also register multisig accounts and verify their addresses.

Supported assets on the multi-coin edition include bitcoin, litecoin, Cardano, ether and ERC-20 tokens, according to the features page.

Has BitBox had any security incidents?

On August 17, 2026, BitBox disclosed firmware vulnerabilities that it rated severe. Cointelegraph reported that one memory corruption flaw affected multi-coin devices not yet set up with a wallet, and another involved the Silent Payments feature, which could lock bitcoin to an unintended address. Both required a malicious host computer or app. Decrypt reported that BitBox engineers found the issues in an internal review that used AI models. The fixes shipped in firmware 9.26.5, and BitBox said it had no reports of the flaws being exploited.