Locate the key in OpenKeychain
Open OpenKeychain and select the key you want to migrate. The key detail view shows fingerprint, User IDs, and subkey structure.
How to migrate from OpenKeychain to PGPony
Five minutes to move your existing OpenPGP key from OpenKeychain to PGPony on Android. Same fingerprint, modern UI, cross-platform with iOS if you want it. No rotation needed, no contact-list update.
At a glance
- OpenKeychain: backup secret key as ASCII armored
- Save the .sec.asc file
- Import into PGPony
- Enter passphrase
- Verify fingerprint matches
- Choose dual-run or full switch
Prerequisites
- Both OpenKeychain and PGPony installed on the same Android device
- An existing OpenPGP secret key in OpenKeychain
- The key's passphrase
Backup the secret key as ASCII armored
Use OpenKeychain's backup-secret-keys feature (under the key's actions menu). Choose ASCII armored format: text-based output, more portable than binary. OpenKeychain prompts for the passphrase before exporting the secret material.
Save the file
Pick a save destination (Downloads or your file manager's default). OpenKeychain writes a
file with extension .sec.asc containing the OpenPGP secret key block.
Import the file into PGPony
Two routes work:
- Open the
.sec.ascfile from your file manager. The Android share intent picker offers apps that handle OpenPGP key blocks. Select PGPony. - Open PGPony, switch to the Keyring tab, tap + → Import Key, choose Choose Key File from the Import Method picker, and select the file.
Both routes reach the same import flow.
Enter the passphrase
PGPony detects the OpenPGP block, recognizes protected secret material, and prompts for the passphrase. This is the same passphrase the key uses in OpenKeychain. PGPony doesn't change or reset it during import.
After verification, PGPony re-encrypts the secret material in its on-device storage (Android Keystore, hardware-backed where available).
Verify fingerprint matches
Open the imported key in PGPony. Compare its fingerprint against what OpenKeychain shows. They should be identical: same 40 hex characters.
Decide: dual-run or full switch
The same key now lives in both apps. Two reasonable paths:
- Dual-run. Keep OpenKeychain installed for K-9 Mail integration; use PGPony for everything else. Both hold the same key; no conflicts.
- Full switch. Remove the key from OpenKeychain (and uninstall OpenKeychain if you don't need it). PGPony becomes your only PGP app.
Don't delete from OpenKeychain until you've confirmed PGPony works end-to-end with a test encrypt → decrypt round-trip.
Final cleanup
Securely delete the
.sec.asc transfer file once you're done. It contains your
passphrase-protected secret key: useful intermediate, dangerous if left around.
Verify it worked
- PGPony's keyring shows your key with matching fingerprint, name, email, and subkey structure.
- Encrypt and decrypt a test message in PGPony. Round-trip should succeed.
- Signatures from the old OpenKeychain workflow still verify correctly in PGPony.
Common questions
Will my key still work after migration?
Yes. OpenPGP keys are portable. PGPony imports the .sec.asc identically to how any OpenPGP tool would. Same fingerprint, same identity, same behavior.
Can I keep both apps running?
Yes. Both can hold the same key without conflict. Useful for retaining K-9 Mail integration via OpenKeychain while using PGPony for everything else.
About K-9 Mail integration?
OpenKeychain implements the OpenPGP API K-9 talks to for inline encrypted-mail rendering. PGPony does not implement that specific API. If K-9 + inline encrypted mail is your main workflow, keep OpenKeychain installed alongside PGPony.
Do contacts' public keys migrate too?
Not from a single-key backup. Use OpenKeychain's "backup all keys" to export every key; PGPony will import them in one operation.
What if PGPony says the key already exists?
The fingerprint matches an existing key in PGPony's keyring. Choose overwrite if the OpenKeychain version is your source of truth.
Next steps
Get PGPony
Free OpenPGP encryption for iOS and Android. No accounts, no tracking.