The message means what it says: the amount you are sending plus the network's fee is more than the balance that pays for it.
Two different situations produce it.
You are sending the network's own coin. Leave room for the fee. The MAX button does this for you: it fills in your balance minus the fee the network will need, rather than the whole balance.
You are sending a token and hold none of the network's coin. The token is fine; there is simply nothing to pay the fee with. USDC on Base cannot move without a little ETH on Base.
Getting the coin
- Exchange something you hold on another network. When a swap on this network is waiting for its coin, the swap screen offers to get it from what you hold elsewhere — see I hold tokens on a network but no coin for the fee.
- Receive a little from an exchange or another wallet, on this exact network.
- Buy it, where buying is available for that network.
Fees rise and fall with how busy the network is. A transfer that does not fit now may fit an hour later without you doing anything.
What the app shows
- “Balance is too low to cover the network fee.”
Security note
Never share your recovery phrase, private key, password or device PIN. Smartable will never ask for them or ask you to sign a transaction to “verify” or “recover” your wallet.
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