Note 03
Eighteen words, then paper.
The recovery phrase is the backup of the key the chip created. Quantumicy shows it once. After that, the paper is yours to keep, and the company has no copy.
Near the end of setup, the tall screen lists 18 words in order. They are the recovery phrase for the private keys on that slab. Write them by hand, in that order, on paper. Check the paper against the glass before you leave the screen. Then put the paper somewhere that is not the desk where the computer sits.
Do not photograph the glass. Do not type the words into a notes app, a password manager on a connected machine, or a message. Do not read them to anyone who asks, including anyone who claims to be writing from RAD CAMP INC. The office will not ask. A form on this website will not ask. If a message requests the phrase, it did not come from the company.
The phrase is powerful because it can restore the keys onto a new Quantumicy if the slab is lost or damaged. That is also why it should not travel through email. The company cannot reconstruct a phrase it never received, and it is not supposed to receive one.
The PIN is a different thing. It is a short check you enter on the buttons so a person holding the slab cannot immediately use it. The PIN is not a substitute for the paper. Lose the PIN and you may still have the phrase. Lose the phrase and the slab together, and the keys are gone.
More on how the chip treats that secret is in the chip note. Questions that come up often are on the questions page.