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A Bitcoin wallet uses a private key to create digital signatures that authorize spending. The key is secret data, rather than a coin stored inside the phone or computer. Bitcoin’s blockchain records transactions; the wallet supplies the cryptographic proof needed to move funds.
A signature lets other computers check authorization without learning the private key itself. It is tied to transaction data, so changing the signed details makes that proof fail. This is how a network can check a payment without asking the sender to reveal the secret used to approve it.
Control of the key therefore matters as much as access to the wallet app. A person who obtains it can create valid signatures. Keeping signing keys separate from an internet-connected device is the principle behind offline and hardware-wallet designs.
Sources: Bitcoin’s transaction explainer and wallet developer guide.
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