Hi all! I know I’m not a frequent poster here, but as we’ve been expanding our Zcash usage at Cake Wallet, including accepting it (shielded, of course!) at Cake Pay, we knew we wanted to build out Zcash as we would like to see it for our users.
That all culminates in today’s Cake Wallet update, v5.7.0, that launches Zcash support to our users for the first time. Users get a modern Zcash experience, shielded-by-default transactions, rotating t-addresses, in-app swaps, AnyPay support, passphrase wallets, background sync, and real-world spending through Cake Pay, all wrapped in a polished interface that has been refined since 2018 through open-source development and real-world use.
I figured for those new to Cake Wallet I’d run through the primary features that make our Zcash implementation and holistic feature set stand out.
Autoshielding (Private by Default)
With Zcash on Cake Wallet, autoshielding is enabled by default, ensuring funds are immediately moved into shielded addresses without requiring manual steps. This removes friction and guesswork for users while reinforcing a simple principle: privacy should not depend on advanced settings or perfect behavior. By making shielded usage the standard path, Cake Wallet helps users stay protected automatically as they receive and manage ZEC.
Always Private, No Questions Asked
Cake Wallet does not allow outgoing transactions from transparent (T-) addresses. Every spend originates from a shielded address, ensuring transaction privacy is preserved even when sending funds to transparent recipients. This design choice prevents accidental privacy leaks and reflects a deliberate commitment to implementing Zcash the way it should always be used, securely and privately by default.
Rotating Transparent Addresses
For situations where transparent addresses are required, such as certain swap flows, Cake Wallet uses rotating t-addresses. This minimizes address reuse and reduces the risk of transaction graph linking, which is especially important during swaps. Combined with shielded-by-default spending, this approach ensures that even edge cases are handled with privacy in mind. Famed blockchain investigator ZachXBT recently shed some light on the kinds of risks users are exposed to when making swaps with Zcash and re-used t-addresses. Cake protects users from these kinds of privacy lapses automatically.
One Seed to Rule Them All
Cake Wallet’s single recovery seed can manage multiple wallets and multiple coins, including Zcash. This “one seed” approach reflects how people actually use crypto today, holding and using different assets for different purposes. By combining multi-coin support with a unified seed, Cake Wallet reduces complexity while maintaining strong self-custody, making it easier for users to manage private digital cash without juggling multiple backups. You can truly “be your own bank”.
Background sync
Ever gotten tired of waiting for your Zcash wallet to sync so you can make that payment? On Android, we let you enable background sync with a tap, ensuring that all of your wallets are always up to date and ready to go when you need them.
Yes, it’s really that simple.
AnyPay Integration
With AnyPay, also known as Pay Anything, Cake Wallet removes one of the most common friction points in crypto payments, when a buyer and seller have mismatched currencies. If you have Zcash but need to pay an address in another supported asset, like Bitcoin, or Monero, you simply paste the address and hit send. Cake Wallet automatically handles the swap in the background and completes the payment in a single, seamless flow. No wallet switching, no manual swapping, and no awkward back-and-forth about which coin someone accepts. It’s crypto working the way people intuitively expect it to, simple, direct, and private by default, even when paying across different currencies.
Shielded Swaps
We’ve brought our incredible swaps to Zcash, including shielded swaps using NEAR, allowing users to move between assets in just a few taps while preserving privacy. Additional swap providers with full shielded support, including Exolix, are coming soon, further improving liquidity, choice, and flexibility for users without compromising on privacy.
Passphrase wallets
Worried that someone will discover your seed phrase at home and swipe all your hard-earned Zcash? We’ve added passphrase support for Zcash, meaning you can finally add an extra layer of security to your wallets.
When creating or a restoring a wallet, just check the box and enter your passphrase and you’re off to the races.
Remember that if you set a passphrase and forget it, you won’t be able to recover your funds! Please be cautious when using this feature and ensure that you backup both the seed phrase and the passphrase properly.
Cake Pay
Private money only works if it can be spent. Through Cake Pay, users can turn ZEC into gift cards and debit cards for everyday goods and services directly from Cake Wallet. This bridges private digital payments with real-world utility, making Zcash more than just a store of value, it becomes usable money without routing users back through traditional, surveillance-heavy payment systems.
Important - As Zashi has implemented a different approach to change addresses than Cake Wallet, restoring a Zashi seed phrase in Cake Wallet will not show all funds available. If you’re migrating to Cake Wallet from Zashi, create a new Zcash wallet in Cake, and send your ZEC over to your new Zcash wallet in Cake.
Click here for a step by step migration guide.
Ready to try Cake Wallet?
Download it today and see why over a million users trust it for their crypto needs. Privacy, simplicity, and freedom—all in one wallet.
Feedback
We’d love to hear from you, the Zcash community, on ways we can continue to improve and iterate on Zcash support in Cake Wallet! Drop us a line here, or if you need general Cake Wallet support, reach out to our awesome 24/7 support team at support@cakewallet.com or using the in-app chat.
As always, Cake is 100% FOSS under MIT, and as such you’re free to browse and use the source on Github as desired.
