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Question on public keys - xpub and zpub - in Sparrow and Blue Wallet
960 sats \ 8 comments \ @Signal312 13 Jan bitcoin_beginners
In creating a new watch only wallet in Blue wallet, I import the default public key from Sparrow to Blue Wallet. The default in Sparrow is xpub, so that's what I import.
Blue Wallet picks the wrong derivation path.
Blue wallet picks m/44’/0’/0’, when in Sparrow the derivation path was m/84'/0'/0'. This is all with defaults in Sparrow.
This leads to Blue Wallet not finding any of the transactions, because the receive addresses are different. Also it looks like in Blue Wallet, it's not possible to change the derivation path.
However, in Sparrow when you switch to zpub (by clicking the button to the right of the xpub/zpub field), and import that into Blue Wallet, everything works well.
I've run into this before, and it caused me a major headache. Asking AI tells me that zpub is more modern and efficient, and results in lower fees.
Is that true? I have a hard time believing that Sparrow (which is pretty much the flagship bitcoin wallet software) would do something that's not the latest and greatest. Also this particular AI says that the xpub addresses all start with 1, which is definitely not true, mine start with bc1.
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55 sats \ 1 reply \ @senf 13 Jan
I think xpub is technically for old legacy (1*) addresses, and zpub is native segwit (bc1*). People say xpub while meaning any of xpub, ypub, and zpub.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 OP 13 Jan
Thanks. It just seems weird that for a standard, default wallet in Sparrow, for the public key it shows xpub by default, instead of zpub. These are for Sparrow created native segwit wallets, addresses starting with bc1. And the derivation path of m/84'/0'/0'.
And it's definitely confusing Blue Wallet. I assume when you give Blue Wallet an xpub, to create a watch-only wallet, it assumes that you're trying to use legacy wallets. So it sets the derivation path to m/44’/0’/0’, and the addresses start with 1.
And of course it doesn't find any transactions.
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34 sats \ 2 replies \ @fishious 14 Jan
Sparrow also allows you to export the wallet's output descriptor and you can import that into BlueWallet instead. The output descriptor contains the derivation path (should start with wpkh([00000000/84h/0h/0h]), and BlueWallet should be able to read that.
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Signal312 OP 14 Jan
Yeah, that does work, thanks. Just seemed odd that Sparrows default public key export (xpub) didn't match their other settings.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @fishious 14 Jan
Yea, there's a lot more variables that make up a bitcoin wallet, and xpubs aren't enough sometimes. Wallet output descriptors has better interoperability between different wallets if they are supported.
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1 sat \ 0 replies \ @pajdo 13 Jan freebie
#170473 https://medium.com/the-bitcoin-hole/what-is-xpub-ypub-and-zpub-6e402b4d3cfe
0 sats \ 0 replies \ @SpaceHodler 13 Jan
For segwit wallets you want to export the zpub, not xpub.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin 13 Jan
Asking AI tells me
LOL seriously? So low you go ? Daaamn people nowadays can't even shit without asking "AI"...
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