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Sensitive operations need quorum approval before Anchorage Digital processes them. This guide explains how to approve, where pending requests appear, and what to do when one is stuck.

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How approvals work

When you initiate an operation, you also approve it in the Anchorage Digital iOS app, on the same device that generated your enrollment QR code. Other members of the relevant policy’s quorum approve from their own enrolled devices. Pending operations appear under Pending activity (the bell icon). For how quorums are configured, see Vault policies and Rules.

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Approve a pending operation

1

Open pending activity

In the iOS app, go to Pending activity (bell icon) to see the operations awaiting approval.
2

Select the operation

Tap the operation you want to approve. To approve several at once, tap Select, choose the operations, and tap Confirm and review.
3

Submit biometric approval

Review the details, then follow the prompts to submit biometric approval — quorum approval is required.
For approving several operations at once, see Batched endorsements.

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Approval windows and expiry

Approval requests don’t stay open indefinitely. Each stage of the process has its own window, and an operation that doesn’t collect what it needs in time expires. An expired operation leaves the pending queue without being rejected, so it’s easy to miss. If a user you added never gained access, or an operation you were waiting on is no longer in the queue, check whether it expired. Expired operations can’t be revived, so you’ll need to initiate a fresh one.

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Why is my operation stuck pending?

A pending operation is waiting on quorum. Work through these checks:
  • It was blocked, not stuck — an operation rejected by a rule with a Block outcome doesn’t wait for approval. It’s declined immediately and won’t appear under Pending activity.
  • Quorum isn’t met yet — confirm who in the policy still needs to approve.
  • An endorsement error — an outdated app version can block approval. Update the app, then try again. See Updating the app.
  • Anchorage Digital review — some operations route to Anchorage Digital for review after quorum is met, so they can stay pending briefly before completing. Review usually finishes within about 30 minutes, though periods of high volume can stretch that.
If an operation has been in review well beyond that, or you have a time-sensitive request, email accountexecutive@anchorage.com so we can prioritize it.
You can only endorse an operation you initiated on the device that generated your enrollment QR code. If you’ve moved to a new device, see Device and login recovery.