You just got a new phone and opened a DApp—only to find the old session didn't connect and the page is still loading. This is normal. Old wallet connection sessions cannot be used on a new phone; you need to scan the QR code again to reconnect. But your on-chain assets are not affected. You only need to rebuild the session on the new device to use it normally.
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Why Old Sessions Don't Work on a New Phone
WalletConnect sessions are device-bound. When you scan a QR code to establish a connection, a unique pair of pairing keys is generated between your mobile wallet and the DApp. These keys are stored in the wallet app on your old phone. They do not belong to your account; they belong to that device.
The wallet app on your new phone does not have these keys, so it naturally cannot take over the old session. After switching phones, your blockchain address and assets are still there—they are stored on-chain and follow your private key. But the "connection state" is temporary local data that follows the device.
There is a clue to support this: WalletConnect session data is stored in a local dedicated directory by default. Deleting that directory is equivalent to clearing all old sessions, which shows that sessions are indeed "localized" and do not automatically sync with your account.
Three Steps to Take After Switching Phones
Step 1: Restore the wallet itself on your new phone
Losing the old session does not affect your wallet. First, make sure you have installed a wallet app on your new phone (MetaMask / imToken / Trust Wallet, etc.), then restore the wallet using your seed phrase or private key.
Key points: Restore your wallet address on the new device. The process is to download the wallet app → select "Import Wallet" → enter the 12 or 24-word seed phrase. The completion standard is that you can see the same wallet address and asset balance on the new phone as on the old phone.
When restoring your wallet on a new phone, make sure to download the installation package from the official website. Using an unofficial fake app can lead to seed phrase leakage and asset theft. Do not take shortcuts on this step.
Step 2: Scan the QR code again to establish a new session
After wallet recovery, go back to the DApp page you want to use, click "Connect Wallet" to generate a new QR code, and scan it with your new phone. WalletConnect v2 sessions can persist across page refreshes, but if you change devices, you need to pair again.
Key points: Establish a connection session on the new device. The process is to click Connect Wallet on the DApp page → select WalletConnect → scan with your new phone wallet. The completion standard is that the DApp page shows your wallet address in the upper right corner, matching what was shown on the old device.
Step 3: Clean up sessions on the old phone (optional but recommended)
The old session on your old phone is still in the wallet's "Connected Sites" list. Although it can no longer connect, it still takes up space. It is recommended to delete it.
Key points: Clean up invalid sessions on the old device. The process is to open the wallet app on the old phone → find the "Connected Sites" or WalletConnect session list → swipe left or long press to delete the relevant entries. The completion standard is that the DApp entry no longer appears in the old phone's connected sites list.
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Can Both Phones Be Connected to the Same DApp at the Same Time?
Technically yes. If you restored the same private key on two phones, in theory the same DApp can have two sessions open at the same time. But wallet and DApp compatibility with multi-device simultaneous connections may not be good, and they may kick each other offline. To be safe, only use one device to operate.
Risk reminder: If you still have your old phone, do not initiate transactions on the old device after switching phones. The old session may still be valid. When initiating a transaction, the wallet will pop up a signature request and everything may look normal, but the DApp side may already be using the new session. The states on both sides will not match, and the transaction may be sent but the page may not update.
How to verify completion: After scanning and connecting on the new phone, your wallet address appears in the upper right corner of the DApp page. Then click any read-only operation in the DApp (such as checking your balance). If it returns data normally, the new session is working. The session on the old phone will naturally become invalid, and no extra handling is needed.
