Ripple (XRP) casino on a phone: the copy-and-paste trap between two apps
On a phone the deposit screen and the wallet app are two programs, and the clipboard holds one thing at a time. XRP needs two things carried across: the address and the tag.
That is the whole problem, and it is a bigger source of mistakes than any quirk of the network.
Play on the go, and carry two things across
The usual sequence is to copy the address in the casino app, switch to the wallet, paste it, switch back, copy the tag, switch again, paste it. Each switch is a place to lose the clipboard to a keyboard suggestion, a notification or a second copy of the address that you made without noticing. A tag field that contains the address, or an address field that contains the tag, is the signature of that mistake.
A QR code makes it feel safer, and it can be. But a code may carry only the address, depending on the cashier and the wallet. After a scan, look at the wallet's tag box and fill it if it is empty.
A routine that works on a small screen
- Open the deposit screen and the wallet in quick succession.
- Paste the address, then check its first and last characters.
- Copy the tag separately, paste it, and check the digits.
- Send a small first amount and wait for the balance.
That is four steps, and the second and third are the ones people skip because they feel redundant. They are the ones that catch a clipboard slip, and a slip of that kind is the commonest way a tag ends up wrong on a phone, where the address and the number are copied one after the other from the same screen and a thumb is never far from the wrong button.
If you deposit often, keep the wallet app signed in and the casino open in a second tab or window, so that neither has to be reopened midway. Reopening is when clipboards get replaced and fields get cleared.
Screenshots and notes
A screenshot of the deposit screen is better than a typed note, because it keeps the address and tag together and shows which operator they belong to. It is still a snapshot, though: if the casino changes the tag you were shown, the picture will not tell you. Re-open the screen before each deposit.
FAQ
Does scanning a QR code include the tag?
It may or may not, depending on the cashier and the wallet. Check the wallet's tag box after scanning.
Why is my tag box filled with an address?
The clipboard was probably overwritten between two copies. Clear the box, go back to the deposit screen and copy the tag again.