A watch-only pockets is strictly what the identify says: a pockets that watches a set of addresses, however can’t spend these funds.
Watch-only wallets are for instance used to trace incoming funds with out exposing the non-public key materials to a server. A watch-only pockets is created by importing solely the addresses or public keys from another full pockets that’s stored on a safer system or totally offline.
Anybody can create a pockets that watches particular addresses, as a result of addresses and transactions are public data. Spending the funds requires the non-public keys. When you’ve got a watch-only pockets, you may watch the exercise of a pockets, however can’t management the funds.
For those who created the pockets, you’ll have unintentionally imported an tackle or prolonged public key (xpub) into the pockets as a substitute of importing the non-public keys. For those who imported this data from one other pockets, the unique pockets that you just created the tackle with ought to have the ability to signal for the transactions.
If another person created a pockets for you that seems to be a watch-only pockets unexpectedly, they’re seemingly making an attempt to rip-off you. They’re displaying you funds that you don’t management, prone to defraud you of cash not directly.
If you do not have the non-public key, you can not spend the cash. If no person else has it both, the cash are misplaced.