Keep a way back to your VXN identity.

Recovery is optional. You can use VXN without setting it up, but losing or resetting your phone can then permanently lose access to your existing identity and conversations.

Your account and your phone hold different things

Your Velix ID and password let you sign in to the service. Your phone holds the private identity and conversation information used by the app. Keeping your account for testing and public release does not mean the service can restore your phone’s contents.

The recovery file contains a saved snapshot of your identity, contacts and conversation state, including the messages held in that snapshot. It is not a complete backup of your phone. An older external copy restores only what it contains; it cannot guarantee recovery of newer messages.

Set up recovery before you need it

Choose Set up or repair recovery when the app offers it, or open Settings → Recovery — status and options.
Save the displayed recovery code somewhere safe outside this phone, then confirm it in the app. VXN does not keep a copy of that code.
Choose Internal storage → Documents and allow access. VXN creates the VXN Recovery folder and saves your account’s encrypted file there.
Copy, do not move, the account’s .vxnrecovery file to a computer or USB memory stick. Keep the original on the phone so the app can update it.
Copy the updated file off the phone periodically, especially before replacing or resetting the device. The copy on your computer or USB stick does not update automatically.

Keep your recovery code and file separate. Together, they can unlock the private information saved in your backup. If a contact behaves unexpectedly, confirm their identity through another trusted channel before sharing anything sensitive.

What happens in each situation?

You lose your phone, or it breaksYour external copy is what matters

With recovery prepared: Install VXN on the replacement phone and sign in with the same Velix ID and password. When asked to restore your existing identity, enter the saved recovery code and select your copied recovery file. After restoration, follow the app’s instructions to save a local recovery file on the new phone and make a fresh external copy.
Without the code and an external file: Your password alone cannot recreate the lost private identity. If there is no accessible copy of the required recovery material or original device data, VXN cannot restore it for you. Creating another account does not recover the old conversations.

You factory-reset, reformat or clear the phonePrepare before erasing anything

Before the reset: Save your sign-in details and recovery code separately, and copy the latest recovery file off the phone. Check that the copied file is available on your computer or USB stick before erasing the device.
After the reset: If the app’s private identity was erased, sign in and restore using the code and file. Clearing app storage or reinstalling can also remove the local information VXN needs. Do not assume a file stored elsewhere on the same phone will survive a factory reset.

You are moving to another phoneKeep the old phone until restoration succeeds

While the old phone still works: If recovery is off, set it up in Settings first. Copy the current file off the old phone and keep the code available separately.
On the new phone: Sign in with the same account and follow the restoration prompt. Confirm that restoration has completed before wiping the old phone. Treat this as a move to a replacement device, not a promise that both phones can stay synchronized.

You lose the recovery code or fileOne cannot replace the other

The original phone still works: Keep using it and check Recovery in Settings before resetting anything. A missing local recovery file can be repaired while the required protected state remains on that device. Repair keeps the existing code valid; it does not reveal a forgotten code or create a replacement code for an existing setup.
The original phone is also gone: You need both the matching code and a readable recovery file to restore. VXN cannot supply a missing code or retrieve your external backup.

What if you forget your sign-in password?

Your recovery code is not a replacement sign-in password. The current app asks you to sign in before restoring a device’s identity, and there is no self-service forgotten-password reset flow.

Check your password manager or saved sign-in details first. You can contact vxn@velixnet.com for guidance, but do not assume support can restore access. Never send your password, recovery code, private keys or recovery file in a message.

Can you use the app without recovery?

Yes. Choose Continue without recovery and confirm the warning. Messaging remains available on the working device. You can revisit the choice in Settings while you still have access.

This choice cannot bypass restoration when an existing identity is missing from a replacement or reset phone. Set up recovery before that happens.

With recovery enabled

Pros: gives you a way to restore the saved identity and conversations after phone loss, damage or a planned move.
Cons: you must protect the code, keep an external file and refresh that copy. Older backups can miss newer activity, and anyone with both pieces may access the saved contents.

Without recovery

Pros: less setup and no new recovery code or external backup to manage. Message encryption still works.
Cons: losing the device’s private data can permanently lose access to the existing identity and messages. A saved password does not undo that loss.

Turning recovery off stops its checks and updates on that device. It does not delete recovery files you already made; those copies remain your responsibility.

If the app says the backup needs updating

Open Recovery in Settings and follow the repair instructions. This can happen if the file is missing or the app has lost permission to read or write its folder. Repair the local copy, then copy the updated file outside the phone again.

If you choose “I’ll copy it later,” the file may still exist only on the phone. Recovery is not ready for phone loss until both the code and a usable file are available elsewhere.

Before you rely on it

VXN is still in closed testing. These instructions describe the current app implementation; they are not a guarantee that every device or failure case has been tested. A recovery file does not recreate an account that has been deleted from the service.

Your account · Account deletion · Technical notes