This article provides a way to check out using the XRP Ledger protocol free of risk and cost for those who want to get familiar with basic XRP operations (before going live) or are just curious.

The following is a procedure to

- set up Xumm on the Testnet

-– (as opposed to the Mainnet (live production network))

- create accounts

- get TestNet XRP to be able to do basic transactions.

If you are new to decentralized digital assets, XRP and/or Xumm you may want to read some of the XRP Basics articles in the help centre about common misconceptions and Destination Tags.

This may seem long and complicated but it is really only long and somewhat complex.

The result is a confident understanding of transacting in XRP and the freedom that provides.

It is best to do this somewhere safe, quiet and comfortable to prevent making mistakes, e.g. mixing up Testnet and Mainnet. It takes about 30 minutes. 

There are two paths for doing this. The choice depends on how you learn best.

Those that prefer direct, hands-on learning with detailed information can continue with this article.

Those that prefer a simpler method with more guidance can go to Xumm.Community Tools and select 'Testnet Account'.

Download and install Xumm

Android

iOS

Do not create an account yet

Connect to the TestNet

Go to: Settings > Advanced > Node

Select one of the two available TestNet nodes

For the purposes of this article we will use wss://testnet.xrpl-labs.com

Be Advised!

Any production accounts already on Xumm will become 'inactive' when switching to the TestNet.

This is normal.

The production account doesn't exist on the TestNet so the app returns an inactive status.

The account will return to normal status when the app is switched back to a server on the production network (MainNet)

Prepare to secure the Account Data

Skip this step at your peril!

This is a chance to create and test security procedures with no risk of loss .

It is heartbreaking to get support requests from users that have lost the means to recover their account data and/or sent XRP to some scammer. Unfortunately this is all too frequent.

The XRPL Ledger (like most cryptocurrency networks) is completely unforgiving in one sense – transactions cannot be reversed BY ANYONE EVER.

Transpose each of the numbers generated in the next step somewhere safe, secure and offline. The choice of methods is up to you.

Pen and Paper

Check, re-check and double-check the accuracy of each character before moving on.

An error in this step results in permanent loss of access to the account in question with no chance of recovery.

Secure, offline digital storage like a password manager

DO NOT USE an application that might change the character format (like a PDF editor or word processor). If using a digital method keep the data in plain text format.

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Advisory

Xumm is non-custodial and has no access to accounts or funds ever.

Xumm Support will never ask for any secret or confidential information or to be sent XRP.

Anyone who does is scamming.

Xumm provides complete and direct control of digital assets to the user.

As per the Terms of Service there are is no way back once a transaction is signed and sent.

It is strongly suggested to have a secure and physically safe (think fire, water) offline copy of the credentials AND make it so someone else (lawyer?, trusted third party?) can access them if something happens to you.

The freedom of distributed ledger technologies and digital assets comes with the responsibility to directly manage the security YOURSELF.

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Before Starting

For the purposes of this article we will refer to the accounts as Test00 and Test01.

One account will be created using a faucet and the other will be created in Xumm. This allows experiencing both importing an account and creating one from scratch in the application.

The faucet funds the account with 1,000 XRP for testing and activating the new account.

Both the addresses and the XRP generated are only valid on the testnet and will not work on the mainnet (live production network).

Handy Tip

If you are doing this on a desktop using a Google account,

there is an easy way to transfer the testnet account data on your phone

Go to Keep.google.com in the browser

Copy the TestNet Credentials generated in the next step to a note in Keep

Open Keep on your phone (using the same Google Account)

Copy the address and credentials for pasting into Xumm

Create an Account with XRP Faucet

Go to the XRP Faucets Page

Select 'Generate TestNet Credentials'

The site returns;

- An address

- A Seed (29 characters, starts with 's')

-– Xumm refers to this as a 'Family Seed'

- The Balance

Make the Address and the Secret safe and secure offline before proceeding.

This is where the handy tip above can be used.

Import the Account into Xumm

In Xumm:

Go to Settings > Accounts and click the '+' symbol in the top-right corner

Select 'Import Existing Account'

On the Account Type screen select 'Full Access' then 'Next'

On the Secret Type screen select 'Family Seed'

Input the Family Seed

Xumm will prompt to confirm the public address (starts with 'r')

review the address is correct and, if it is, click 'Confirm'

Xumm prompts to choose Security Level

The choices are;

Standard

- Sign transactions with bio-metrics or app PassCode

Extra Security

- Sign transactions with a user-created passphrase

There is a procedure to reset passphrases in the Xumm Help Centre.

For this test choose 'Extra Security'.

Create a strong passphrase and input it.

Xumm will not allow weak passwords.

The progress bar under the input field will grow with input and turn green when the passphrase is strong enough.

Name the account 'Test00'.

The result should be an account with the address from the TestNet faucet with a 1000 XRP balance.

The balance shows 980 XRP because 20 XRP are reserved.

Create a New Account in Xumm

Do _NOT_ change the node back to production

Go to Settings > Accounts and select the '+' symbol in the top-right corner

Select 'Create a new account' from the Accounts Screen

Xumm is about to create the Secret Numbers that need to kept safe and secure offline. Read the warning then select 'Next, I understand'

Xumm will show a series of eight six-digit numbers each associated with a letter (A-H).

These numbers will be needed in the next step and if the account data needs to be re-imported into Xumm.

As of this writing, no other app uses the Xumm Secret Number format. See this article to learn why this method was created.

An error in this step results in permanent loss of access to the account in question with no chance of recovery.

Copy each number before moving on to the next.

Check, re-check and double-check the accuracy of each number before moving on.

Xumm will now prompt to re-input the Secret Numbers to confirm they were copied correctly.

Xumm inputs a random digit in the first position.

Use the +/– keys to change the number to the right value from the offline record made in the previous steps.

Use the '>' to move forward to the next position,

After inputting all eight digits correctly the line will be green and Xumm allows moving on to the next position.

Repeat those steps for each of the other seven numbers.

Once all the Secret Numbers are input Xumm will show the address of the account. Copy it to the same place as the secret numbers and passphrase.

Xumm will prompt for a passphrase for signing the transactions.

This not the same as the Passcode used to unlock the app interface.

At this point, the address, seed and passphrase should be safe together somewhere offline.

Name the account 'Test01'

The passphrase can be reset by deleting the account from the app and re-importing it using the Secret Numbers as per this Xumm Help Centre article.

It is a good idea to remove the account from Xumm and re-import as way of testing both the procedure and the backup data.

*You made it!*

Take a break and reward yourself then come back and do some test transactions between the two accounts.