Yoroi 12-word seed (again!)

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I know this has been discussed on various forums before but I feel like the answers I’ve seen are not accurately addressing the issue. Everyone seems to insist on user error. I know, at least in my case, this is impossible.
I have a Yoroi Shelley wallet created on the mobile app on March 11, 2021. I stake. I have never once used Daedalus. I also have a 12-word seed phrase. The chance that I only wrote down 12 of 15 words is 0%.
I am attempting to restore the wallet to the browser extension in order to retrieve the API which can’t be accessed via the mobile version.
It’s asking for a 15-word phrase.
Now what?
Thanks.

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The only Cardano wallet app that ever used 12 words is Daedalus in Byron era. Period.

There are enough threads here that ended with “Found it.” or “Oh, I mixed up Metamask and Yoroi.”, but if you don’t want to believe it, we can’t help.

Fortunately, you still seem to have access to your wallet on the mobile app.
So what you could do is:

  • Create a new wallet in a wallet app (I’d really recommend ccvault or Typhon instead of Yoroi, but totally your choice).
  • Restore that wallet (while still empty) into multiple wallet apps on multiple devices and compare addresses, so that you are really sure about the correct seed phrase.
  • Send everything from Yoroi mobile to this new wallet (maybe first a small amount to triple check and then the rest).
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Thanks for the response. I’m luckier than some in that I still have access to my wallet. Transferring to a new wallet was my next step.
However, I must disagree on the initial point because there are two things that I am 100% certain of: I have NEVER used Daedalus and my seed phrase is only 12 words. I understand that people seem to think this isn’t possible, but it’s true.
This is a good tip: “Restore that wallet (while still empty) into multiple wallet apps on multiple devices and compare addresses, so that you are really sure about the correct seed phrase.”

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I even looked at the code for the version that was the current one in March 2021.
The call to generate a seed phrase is here:
https://github.com/Emurgo/yoroi-mobile/blob/4.0.0/src/components/WalletInit/CreateWallet/CreateWalletScreen.js#L72
generateAdaMnemonic is defined here:
https://github.com/Emurgo/yoroi-mobile/blob/4.0.0/src/crypto/byron/util.js#L155-L156
And the strength/length of the mnemonic is hard-coded to 160 bits in CONFIG.MNEMONIC_STRENGTH here:
https://github.com/Emurgo/yoroi-mobile/blob/4.0.0/src/config/config.js#L140
160 bits are a 15 word seed phrase:
https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0039.mediawiki#Generating_the_mnemonic

It always has been that way for Yoroi. The code was moved a bit, but it’s basically still the same logic: hard-coded to 15 words and 15 words only. And they even let you verify it, so a glitch, where only 12 of the 15 were visible in the interface, is also unlikely.

Do you have another wallet app for Bitcoin or another blockchain? They have 12 words very often.

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When making a new wallet I always check not only that the funds arrive but also that I can send the funds out again. I have seen situations with the early versions of MyEtherWallet where the wallet could generated a private key that did not match the public. So you could send funds to the new wallet but they were stuck there with no way to move them out.

After checking that I can move funds out again I test (with only as small amount in the wallet) that I can delete the wallet, restore it again with the recovery words and finally that I can still move a small amount out of the wallet. Now I know my recovery phrase works.

I use a Ledger Nano S which as an app called recovery check. This allows you to put in your recovery phrase and check that you have the correct words. I memorized my 24 words using the memory palace technique and practice recalling them using the recovery check application on the Nano S periodically.

This is NOT A SUBSTITUE for keeping your words in a secure place like a safety deposit box if you trust the banking system or perhaps on an airgapped computer with a clonable encrypted drive.

If everybody made the effort to memorize, practice, and verify their recovery phase using a hardware wallet then there would be very few issues like this.

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