First, let's be clear: OKX's "idle asset auto-earn" is not a standalone feature. It is hidden in two places — one is "Trading Account Auto Earn+" (VIP only), and the other is "Strategy Auto Earn" (available to everyone). The "idle balance settings" you are asking about is most likely the latter, because it is turned on automatically.
Below I'll break down both cases so you can see which one applies to you.
Case A: You're running trading bots (grid, Martingale) and want to earn interest automatically
If you are running strategies like spot grid or futures grid, the system has already enabled "automatic interest on idle balances" by default — you don't need to do anything. It works automatically.
What to do: Check whether your strategy funds are already earning interest automatically.
How to do it: Go to Trade → Trading bots and check your running strategies. As long as the strategy has eligible funds (such as USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL), the system will automatically lend or stake them without affecting the strategy.
Supported strategies include: spot grid, spot Martingale, futures grid, and futures Martingale. Strategies like recurring buy and HODL are not supported yet.
Completion standard: The strategy details page will show the status of "Auto Earn" or "Auto Staking" and the accumulated earnings.
Case B: You're just holding coins and want idle balances to earn automatically (non-strategy scenario)
If you are a regular user and want USDT sitting in your spot account to earn interest automatically, you need to take another path — but this path is currently only open to VIP users.
What to do: Enable "Trading Account Auto Earn+" so idle funds in your spot account are lent automatically.
How to do it (App): Tap Explore at the bottom → Earn → Auto Earn+, find the target asset (USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, etc.), and tap the switch to turn it on.
Completion standard: The page shows that the Auto Earn switch for that asset is "On".
Auto Earn core rules (these two are enough to know)
1. Funds stay in place and normal use is not affected. Auto Earn funds remain in your original account (strategy account or trading account). They can still be used as margin or to place orders, with no impact on risk control.
2. Interest is paid hourly, but you only receive 85%. Out of the interest earned from lending, 15% is used as a risk reserve, and you receive the remaining 85%.
Common mistake: thinking you can adjust it manually
The Strategy Auto Earn feature is automatically enabled and has no switch. Want to turn it off? You can only stop the strategy. The VIP version, Trading Account Auto Earn+, is the only one with a separate switch.
Risk reminder: Funds that have already been lent cannot be moved
If you use the VIP version "Trading Account Auto Earn+", after enabling it, funds that have already been lent cannot be transferred or withdrawn. Only the portion that has not been lent yet can be moved freely.
How to verify it's working
Go to the strategy details page or the Earn page and look for "Auto Earn" or "Auto Staking" status and the accumulated earnings. If you can see them, your idle balance is already working.
