ARK: Frequently Asked Questions — FAQ
The ARK Crew has collected some of the most common questions asked throughout our many social media platforms (Slack, email, Facebook, Twitter, etc…). We’ll keep them updated and include new commonly asked questions as they come along. The following sections will help you find the answers you are looking for with links to guides that give further explanations:
- Fees
- Passphrase / passphrase issues
- Desktop wallet issues and questions
- Exchanges and acquiring ARK
- Voting, delegates, and calculators
- Bounties
- Explorer and explorer links
- Setting up a node, security, and swap
- Ledger
- Roadmap, Updates, and Price
1. Fees
How much do the different ARK transactions cost?
- Sending ARK (normal transaction): 0.1 ARK
- Voting: 1 ARK
- Unvoting: 1 ARK
- Registering 2nd passphrase: 5 ARK
- Registering a delegate name: 25 ARK
Fees are too high, are you planning on reducing them?
Our Core update on MainNet will provide delegates to set their own minimum fees acceptable for any of the transaction types, as such we’ll provide market for how much a user is prepared to pay and how much delegate is willing to accept in order to forge transactions.
2. Passphrase / Passphrase issues
What do I do with the passphrase ?
The passphrase is the master password(key) for your ARK tokens. Every ARK address has its own unique passphrase. With the passphrase you can sign transactions to send your ARK or vote for a delegate.
Do not lose it, and do not share it with others, or you could lose access to your ARK tokens. If you lose your passphrase, or if it is stolen, there is nothing we can do to help you. We CANNOT recover any lost passphrases.
BACKUP YOUR PASSPHRASE! DO NOT LOSE IT! WRITE IT DOWN, SAVE IT HOWEVER YOU CAN!
I can’t send a transaction because of a wrong passphrase. What should I do?
You can’t do anything without the correct passphrase. Please be aware that every character and space counts. Try to remove spaces at the beginning and end. Try to check for capital letters, there should be none (by default 12 words, separated by space, all lower case letters, no space at the beginning or end). Try to spot incorrectly written words. If you do not have the correct passphrase … your tokens could be lost. Again, if you lose your passphrase, there is nothing the ARK team or anyone else can do to help you.
What kind of words are used to generate 12 word default passphrase?
ARK follows the BIP39 proposal standards. You can find all of the English words used to randomly generate the passphrase here:
https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0039/english.txt
Is the 12 word mnemonic passphrase really secure? Can it be brute forced?
Yes it is secure. The 12 word passphrases are much more secure than your usual passwords. Read more on mnemonic generation here : https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0039.mediawiki#Generating_the_mnemonic. In other words, this means it would currently take all the computing power available on the planet Earth thousands of years to brute force your passphrase.
What is a 2nd passphrase?
The second passphrases improves security by adding another 12 words that will be added to your address, making for 24 words total. Make sure you save this 2nd passphrase, as you will now need both passphrases to sign transactions — note that there is currently a 5 ARK transaction fee to create a second passphrase.
I lost / deleted my 2nd passphrase can I still use my ARK account?
NO. If you lose or delete your 2nd passphrase you cannot access your address anymore or sign transactions. You can still import the account/address (1st passphrase), but cannot sign any transactions (you’d need 1st and 2nd passphrase for that). If you lose the 2nd passphrase, you officially make the address/account only view-able and not accessible.
2nd passphrase adds additional layer of security on top of your already secure 1st passphrase, but if you lose your 2nd passphrase, or 1st one, your access to that address/account and anything in that address are lost. There is nothing we can do to recover a lost passphrase of any kind.
I lost my passphrase. Can you guys reset it or reverse my transaction?
If you lost your passphrase there is literally nothing we can do for you — there is no refund button, “forgot my passphrase” or anything similar.
We also cannot reverse any transactions on the blockchain as it is immutable. We are custodians of the code and making sure that the system works like a clock, not the gatekeepers of transactions on the ARK blockchain.
WE CANNOT RECOVER LOST PASSPHRASES, NO ONE CAN.
3. Desktop wallet Issues and Questions
Where can I download ARK desktop wallet?
You can download the latest version of the ARK desktop wallet from our official GitHub repository : https://github.com/ArkEcosystem/ark-desktop/releases .
Just choose the wallet download that matches your operating system.
Why is there a line through a cloud next to my address?
Don’t worry about it, it means this account is new to the network and will disappear after interacting with the network.
I can’t send a transaction because I get an ‘Invalid timestamp error’. What should i do?
Your operating system time is wrong and is set manually. Please update your computer time/system clock to sync using the internet. You can google guides how to do that for every OS. After you do restart your ARK Client.
When I try to send/vote I get the ‘Error: Passphrase is not corresponding to account’ what does it mean?
It means you did not write/copy your passphrase correctly when signing the transaction. Please be aware that every character and space counts. Try to remove additional spaces at the beginning and end of the passphrase. Try to check for capital letters, there should be none.(default is 12 words, lower-case, separated by space). Try to spot incorrectly written words (some words are similar and differ only by 1 letter, eg. grow — glow,row, …) . If you do not have the correct passphrase … then you CANNOT access that account. We cannot recover lost passphrases, no one can. Do not lose your passphrase.
What use are these “Offline” folders in the wallet?
You can use the offline folders to split-up your funds within a wallet. This allows you to better organize your ARK without paying any fees within the same address. The splitting up of your ARK is local to your computer and not stored on the blockchain.
When I open my ARK desktop wallet I see an empty ARK address which should have ARK tokens in it. What could be the reason I cannot open my ARK address?
Most likely you are not connected to the network, make sure the cloud icon in the upper right menu (3rd icon) has a checkmark inside it (meaning connected to network) and does not have line through it(disconnected from ARK network). If it has a line through it, it means either you are not connected to the internet or your firewall maybe blocking your data traffic.
When I open ARK Desktop I see black screen and nothing is there / I’m trying to make a screenshot and screen is black?
If you are connecting to your computer via remote software (eg. Teamviewer) your screen will be black for security reasons (prevents someone trying to access from remote computer, they won’t be able to see your ARK wallet). Same goes when you are trying to make a screenshot (screen will show black).
If you want to disable this, click in the upper left menu Application ->Disable screenshot protection (unsafe). It will be re-enabled every time you restart the wallet.
4. Exchanges & Getting ARK
How can I get ARK?
You have to obtain ARK on an exchange or from a current holder of ARK tokens. The current exchanges ARK is listed on are:
The main exchange with the most daily volume is Bittrex. You will have to obtain Bitcoin (BTC) first and send it to Bittrex. After that you can trade your BTC for ARK. Other exchanges like Cryptopia and Coss offer other token pairings such as ETH-ARK and USDT-ARK.
My Bittrex withdrawal does not work and I get no coins in my ARK wallet. Why?
You most likely forgot to confirm the withdrawal. Please check your emails for withdrawal confirmation. If it still did not work you should contact Bittrex support.
Can I vote from an exchange?
No. You need to send the ARK to your personal ARK address and vote via the official ARK desktop wallet in order to vote.
5. Voting, Delegates, & Calculators
How can I vote for a delegate?
How can I find and choose a delegate?
The best places to find delegate information are:
- https://www.reddit.com/r/ArkDelegates/
- https://forum.ark.io/category/5/delegates
- https://delegates.arkx.io/
How much will I get from voting?
How much you receive is up to the pool operators and not contingent on any rules set up by the ARK Crew. You can check sharing approximations in one of the community built calculators:
- Dafty’s Pool Sharing Calculator
- Bioly’s Pool Sharing Calculator
- Toon’s Pool Sharing Calculator
- Reconnico’s Pool Sharing Calculator
- Faustbrian’s Pool Sharing Calculator
How much ARK do I need to vote?
The fee to register your vote is currently 1 ARK, but will soon decrease to 0.02 ARK. Your remaining balance will decide how much of a share you will get from your pool operator for your delegate. Please check sharing calculators listed above and then you can estimate how long it will take to gain back the fee. It is important to check the delegates proposals often as they may change. Some delegate pools do have requirements that you need to fulfil in order to get rewards. Some also deduct the transaction fees from your share. If you can find a good delegate it makes sense to vote even with around 100 ARK. But the entire voting system is subject to the ever changing delegate market. Please educate yourself before voting. If you have delegate specific questions, contact the delegate you wish to vote for. Delegates have contact info in their proposals.
Is voting a risk for my wallet?
No. All you can “lose” is the 1 ARK voting fee. All other ARK tokens will stay in your wallet and you have full control over them. Please do not send tokens to any of the delegates! That will not count as a vote and you might lose your tokens.
How can I change my vote?
You can remove the vote registration from a delegate (unvote). Then it’s best to restart the desktop client and vote for the new delegate of your choice.
Follow our unvoting guide.
Can I vote for multiple delegates?
You can only vote for one delegate from one address. If you want to support multiple delegates you will have to create additional addresses and split up your ARK into multiple addresses.
Do i have to re-vote when I receive additional ARK tokens in my wallet?
No. The vote weight will automatically adapt to your wallet balance for every deposit and withdrawal you make from that address.
Can I vote from an exchange?
No. You need to send the ARK to your personal ARK address and vote via the official ARK desktop wallet.
I just put all my ARK on a Ledger Nano S, do I need to re-vote?
Yes. New address means new vote.
Do I need to keep my wallet open after I vote?
No. Once you vote it is registered on the blockchain and tied to your specific address. You can open and close the wallet as you please.
6. Bounties
How can I earn some bounties?
What if I have a custom proposal for ARK?
You can get in contact with us over email : info (at) ARK .io
7. Explorer & Explorer Links
Sometimes official explorer doesn’t work, why?
We receive a lot of traffic and sometimes explorer gets stuck, which needs to be restarted and resync with blockchain so can take some time.
What can I do in that case if official explorer is not available?
Our community is running alternative explorers which you can use as well. Here are the links:
- https://explorer.dafty.net
- https://explorer.ark.4miners.net
- https://explorer.arknode.net
- https://explorer.arkno.de
- https://mainnet.arkexplorer.com
- https://explorer.arkcoin.net
8. Setting Up a Node/Security/Swap
How can I setup a node for ARK network?
Follow our guide: https://blog.ark.io/how-to-setup-a-node-for-ark-and-a-basic-cheat-sheet-4f82910719da
How can I better secure my ARK server?
Follow our guide: https://blog.ark.io/how-to-secure-your-ark-node-541254028616
How can I enable swap memory and swapiness on my ARK server?
Follow our guide: https://blog.ark.io/how-to-configure-swap-memory-on-your-server-6ddcc2a27608
9. Ledger
Where can I get ARK branded Ledger?
You can get it via ARK shop https://shop.ark.io/products/ark-brand-ledger-nano-s .
You have 2 options:
- Get a voucher redeemable at LedgerWallet.com (your hardware wallet will be sent by the Ledger company themselves from France, note there are shipping costs associated as well as VAT for Europe when checking out at Ledger site).
- Ordering from directly from ARK (will be sent by one of the US team members).
For other FAQ about Ledger please see our “Full Ledger Nano S Hardware Wallet Guide for ARK”. This should answer all your questions regarding ARK and Ledger.
10. Roadmap/Updates
What are you guys working on now, whats the next update?
You can check our roadmap for current updates and ongoing projects: https://ark.io/roadmap/
When will the next “big thing” be released, why are there no dates?
ARK gives no dates, we develop and announce. We update when we feel something is ready and properly announce via social media and this blog.
What are your plans for marketing?
ARK does not discuss marketing plans or strategic partnerships with the general public.
When will you be on new exchanges?
ARK does not discuss strategic partnerships or exchange additions with the general public until we are ready to announce them or when exchange decides to announce.
Do you have more questions?
We’ve got an awesome community who are always willing to help. Please get in contact and ask your question:
- Slack Chat: https://ark.io/slack
- Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ArkEcosystem/
- Email : info (at) ARK .io
Special thanks to community member ‘Jarunik’ who collected some of the questions and also provided answers to them!
