Earn Crypto with Your Cell Phone in 10 Minutes: The Ultimate Guide to Mining with Acurast

Ever wondered if those old, unused, or even broken smartphones just gathering dust in your drawers could actually be earning you some crypto? What if I told you, that’s totally possible—no coding skills needed, no crazy expensive equipment, and you can get started in under 10 minutes? In this detailed guide, I’m going to show you exactly how to turn your old (and even shattered) phones into little crypto-earning machines using the Acurast platform.

So, whether you’re a hardcore crypto miner looking for a new hustle, or you’re just someone with a few beat-up handsets lying around, this guide’s for you. Let’s dive in!

For more insights on this topic check out this detailed video: Earn Crypto with your Cell Phone in 10 Minutes!

Introduction: Why Earn Crypto With Phones?
What Is Acurast?
How Does Mining with Acurast Work?
How Much Can You Earn?
What Phones Work? Compatibility Guide
Two Ways to Earn: Acurast Light & Acurast Core
- Acurast Light
- Acurast Core
Step-by-Step Setup Guide
- Get MetaMask Ready
- Join The Cloud Rebellion
- Fund Your Account (It’s Free!)
- Prepare Your Devices
- Set Up Acurast Core on an Old or Broken Phone
- Set Up Acurast Light on Your Daily Driver
Managing & Removing Devices
Final Thoughts: Is It Worth It?
FAQs & Community Discussion

Introduction: Why Earn Crypto With Phones?

Let’s be real—almost everyone has a spare smartphone or two somewhere, right? Some are cracked, some are just outdated, and some are just plain forgotten. Instead of letting them rot, what if you could actually make them work for you?

“You can put them to work earning Acurast, and it’s a lot easier than you might think!”

Not only does this let you dabble in crypto mining without investing in expensive hardware, but it’s also a cool way to recycle tech and join one of the fastest-growing computing movements—decentralized, crowd-powered computing.

So, what’s the secret sauce making this all possible?

What Is Acurast?

Acurast is a massive decentralized compute platform that lets you connect smartphones from all over the globe and harness their processing power for tasks like powering apps, running decentralized AI (like language models), and—most interesting for us—earning crypto rewards!

Key facts about Acurast:

Decentralized compute: Anyone, anywhere can add their phone’s processing power to the network.
Open to almost all devices: Broken screens? Outdated models? No problem!
Rewarded in crypto: Earn $ACU (Acurast’s own token) just by lending your phone’s power.

“Acurast is a massive compute platform utilizing and leveraging smartphones… Just weeks ago, they announced they have 50,000 smartphones on their network—and counting!”

Imagine thousands of phones, all over the world, working together to power apps, AI, and distributed web3 projects.

How Does Mining with Acurast Work?

The concept is easy: you install Acurast (as an app or as a dedicated OS) on your phone, connect it to their platform, and your device starts processing jobs—earning you tokens in exchange.

Why Use Old Phones?

Affordable: No need for buying expensive hardware like $2,900 servers!
Accessible: Almost everyone has an old smartphone lying around.
Green: Re-using existing tech reduces e-waste.

Here’s how it stacks up:

Traditional Crypto Mining	Acurast Cell Phone Mining
Costly GPUs or ASICs	Use old (even broken) phones
High Power Consumption	Minimal electricity needed
Needs advanced setup	App-based or installer setup
High heat generation	Phones run cool, no loud fans

“Crazy thing is, you can put them to work. I love this comparison—a $2,900 PowerEdge R350 vs a cheap phone you already have!“

How Much Can You Earn?

Let’s get to the good stuff—how much crypto are we talking?

Bootstrapping Rewards: Up to 250 $cACU tokens/month per device (while the project is in Testnet)
Mainnet Rewards Coming: Testnet tokens will migrate to the main network soon.

Reward Details:

Developers pay tokens for compute usage.
You, as the device owner (“processor”), get rewarded for providing that compute power.
The more your phone is used by the network, the more you earn.

“Earn up to 250 of their $cACU token each month in bootstrapping rewards… When something is deployed on the network, you earn more.”

Of course, rewards may change once mainnet is live, but this is a solid start!

What Phones Work? Compatibility Guide

You might be thinking, “Can I use my cracked Galaxy S10? What about that old Motorola?” You’re in luck!

Acurast supports a massive list of phones, including:

Samsung (most models)
Google Pixel
Motorola
Zebra
Apple iPhones (via Acurast Lite)
And more…

Check out their full supported devices document here.

“They have a massive Google document of all the different phones out there—Google, Samsung, Motorola, Zebra, iPhones, and many more.”

Plus, you can use Android or iOS devices, making this open to almost everyone.

Two Ways to Earn: Acurast Light & Acurast Core

Acurast gives you two different modes for mining crypto with your phones:

Acurast Light

Runs as an app—install it directly from Google Play or Apple App Store.
Best for daily driver phones—use your phone normally, then process jobs when you’re not using it (like overnight or at work).
Easy switch on and off—no commitment, no full factory reset.

“Acurast Light is an app you run on your phone… When you’re not using it, just launch the app, and you’re mining!”

Acurast Core

Full device takeover—meant for phones you don’t need for anything else (old, broken, or spare phones).
Requires factory reset—the software takes full control (security note: don’t use this method on a device with important personal info!).
Maximize earnings—since the whole device is dedicated, you earn more.

“Acurast Core is really meant for those broken phones. You factory wipe it, scan a QR code, and it takes over the whole phone.”

In summary:

Have an old phone you don’t mind resetting? Go with Core.
Want to use your daily phone? Stick to Light.

Step-by-Step Setup Guide

Time to get hands-on! Here’s exactly how to set up your new crypto phone miner. We’ll go step-by-step for both the Core and Light methods.

Get MetaMask Ready

First things first: you’ll need a MetaMask wallet. If you’ve mined any other crypto, you probably already have one; if not, it’s quick and easy.

Download MetaMask: MetaMask Chrome Extension
Set up your wallet and back up your recovery phrase somewhere safe.

“A lot of the things on their site integrate with MetaMask. It just makes it really easy.”

Join The Cloud Rebellion

Ready to register with Acurast?

Go to rebellion.acurast.com
Enter this referral code – JJHRB4
Click “Join the Cloud Rebellion.”
Connect your MetaMask wallet when prompted.

“Once that’s completed, you’ll get a prompt to connect MetaMask.”

Fund Your Account (It’s Free!)

Before you can add devices, you’ll need a little bit of $cACU token for registration—but don’t worry, you don’t need to buy anything.

Go to your Acurast Hub dashboard.
Look for the Fund Account section.
Click the “I’m not a robot” checkbox.
Hit Get Tokens to receive a free faucet drop (about 4 tokens).
Wait 3–5 minutes—your tokens will arrive!

“You do need a little token to add devices, but don’t worry—it’s free from their built-in faucet!”

Prepare Your Devices

For Acurast Core (old/broken phones):

Fully charge the device.
Back up or wipe any important data.
Factory reset the phone (Google instructions for your specific model if needed).

For Acurast Light (everyday phones):

Just make sure you have access to Google Play or Apple App Store.
Make note of your MetaMask login.

Set Up Acurast Core on an Old or Broken Phone

Let’s turn that old phone into a dedicated miner.

Factory Reset the phone. After reboot, stop at the setup screen.
Tap the screen 5 times to open the QR code scanner.
On your Acurast Hub dashboard:
- Go to Devices (left side).
- Then Add Device (top right).
- Authenticate with MetaMask.
- A QR code will appear.
Scan the QR code with your phone.
Connect to Wi-Fi (follow on-phone prompts).
Wait a few minutes as setup completes.

The phone is now fully dedicated to mining with Acurast!

“My smartphone is up and earning some Acurast—pretty slick, right? It’s now fully dedicated. You won’t be able to do anything else on it.”

Set Up Acurast Light on Your Daily Driver

If you don’t want to factory reset your phone, go with the Lite method.

Download the Acurast app from:
- Google Play (for Android)
- Apple App Store (for iPhone)
Open the app.
Click through the introduction screens until you get to the console.
Hit Onboard with Hub.
Grant camera access to scan a QR code.
On your Acurast Hub dashboard:
- Go to Devices.
- Click Add Device.
- A QR code will appear.
Scan the QR code with your phone.
App will prompt to setup a Work Profile (this keeps your mining tasks separate from personal data).
- Allow setup (it’s normal and safe).

Wait a few minutes; once you see a green status in the app, you’re earning tokens!

“After a few minutes, the bar turned from red to green—it now says ‘attested’ and I’m earning Acurast with my daily cell phone using the Lite processor method.”

Managing & Removing Devices

Changing your mind or need your phone back for other use? No problem.

Wipe Data on Core: In the app’s gear/settings menu, select “Wipe Data.” This factory resets your phone back to normal.
Remove Light App: Delete the Acurast app and clear your Work Profile from settings.

“If you ever want to stop mining, there’s an easy wipe option—just one click and it’s back to normal.“

Final Thoughts: Is It Worth It?

You might be wondering: “Is it actually worth it to mine with old phones?” Here’s my honest take:

The Pros

No risk: Use old, unwanted, or broken phones.
Free to get started: No need to buy tokens, no initial investment.
Support for both Android and Apple devices.
Great passive income: Even if earnings are small, you weren’t using the phone anyway!
Easy setup: No tech genius required.

The Cons

Not a huge moneymaker (yet): Don’t expect to get rich overnight. But you can stack tokens for future value.
Dedicated devices can’t be used for anything else (Core mode).
Project still in Testnet: Earnings may change, but Testnet tokens will migrate to Mainnet soon!

“I’m happy to report I’m up and earning some Acurast crypto token with my old cell phone… So, what are you doing with your old phones? Are you mining? If so, what are you mining with them?“

FAQs & Community Discussion

Q: Can I use any phone?

A: Check the full compatibility list (link below). Almost all Samsung, Google, Motorola, Zebra, and many Apple devices are supported.

Q: What about security?

A: Acurast Core takes over the whole phone, so don’t use it on a device with sensitive data. Light mode keeps things separate with Work Profiles.

Q: What does it cost to start?

A: It’s free. You get free tokens to register your devices via the Acurast faucet.

Q: When does Mainnet launch?

A: As of this guide, launch is targeted for April–Q2, 2025, but always check their site for up-to-date info.

Q: Do I need to keep my phone plugged in?

A: For Core mode, yes—keep it on charger. For Light, use when phone isn’t needed.

Jump into the Acurast Project!

Got questions or cool tips? Drop them in the comments below! And check out these helpful resources:

Are you already running Acurast on your old gadgets? Mining something else with your devices? Share your experiences below—let’s get earning!

“Would love to hear more from you guys on what you’re doing with your old cell phones. Are you mining? If so, what are you mining with them?”

Have questions? Tag me on Twitter – https://x.com/HobbyistMiner and join the conversation on my community Discord.

Happy mining, and keep stacking those coins!

Check back weekly for fresh new content, for the everyday miner! For more in-depth insights on this topic, enjoy the video below!

Earn Crypto with Your Cell Phone in 10 Minutes: The Ultimate Guide to Mining with Acurast

Table of Contents

Introduction: Why Earn Crypto With Phones?

What Is Acurast?