An IP address is the number that identifies the internet connection you are using. Once you approve one or more addresses, Bitaroo will only allow withdrawals that come from them, and a withdrawal attempted from anywhere else is refused.
You will find this under Account > Security > Restrict withdrawals on the website, or Settings > Security > Restrict Withdrawals in Bitaroo Express.
While your list is empty, nothing is restricted and withdrawals are allowed from any connection. The feature is opt-in and there is no default list.
Adding an address
The screen shows the address you are connecting from now, so in most cases you do not have to look it up. Each change is confirmed with a 2FA code.
- Your first address works immediately. You have to be able to switch the protection on from where you are standing, and at that moment the list is not protecting anything yet.
- Every address after that waits 48 hours. This includes the second address on a list that has never had anything removed. That delay is what stops somebody who has taken over your account from simply adding their own connection and withdrawing.
A pending address is shown on the list with the date and time it starts working. Your existing approved addresses keep working while it waits.
You can approve up to 20 addresses. That is not a technical limit so much as a practical one: it stops anyone burying your real entries under a list of theirs.
Removing an address
- Removing one of several takes effect straight away, and the rest keep working.
- Removing the last one on your list blocks all withdrawals for 48 hours.
That second case catches people out, so it is worth stating plainly. An empty list means "not set up", which allows withdrawals from anywhere. If emptying the list took effect immediately, deleting every entry would be a one click way to turn the protection off. The 48 hour pause is what closes that.
Two things follow from it. Adding a new address during the block does not shorten the block, and the new address still has its own 48 hour wait. And if you add nothing during those 48 hours, your list is empty when the block ends, which means withdrawals are open from anywhere again.
If your internet address changes
This is the most common reason people find themselves stuck, and it is worth knowing before you switch the feature on.
Most home and mobile connections do not keep the same IP address forever. Your provider can reassign it after an outage, a router restart, or for no visible reason at all. Mobile data changes it more often still. When that happens you are no longer connecting from an approved address, so your withdrawals are refused, and adding the new address takes 48 hours.
If you travel, or you withdraw from more than one place, approve those connections in advance rather than when you need them.
Bitaroo stores exact addresses only. Ranges are not supported.
What this does not cover
Automatic bitcoin withdrawals are not restricted by this list, because a scheduled send has no connection to check. They can only ever pay an address you registered in advance, and your 24 hour limit still applies to them.
If you are locked out
If you cannot withdraw and cannot fix it yourself inside the 48 hours, contact our support team. Support can clear your withdrawal restrictions, but only after verifying your identity, because clearing them removes the protection entirely.