Mash, a Lightning-enabled micropayments project focused on content monetization, has announced their Lightning Bitcoin Wallet is entering Beta and available for download now. In order to bypass potential app store censorship – a precedent set with Apple’s App Store and Nostr client Damus – Mash has enabled download of their progressive web-app straight from your mobile’s browser.
The web-app itself can be saved right to your Android or iOS home screen simply by visiting their website, enabling Lightning Network interoperability for your smart phone in a single minute. A user can create an account, use a credit card to start a bitcoin bonus account, or deposit satoshis from a multitude of popular lightning wallets. With easy to use send and receive interfaces, the Mash Lightning Bitcoin Wallet generates a Lightning address that operates and displays like an email address, but with support for core functionality for Lightning clients.
The web-app prominently features a Smart QR code scanner capable of recognizing multiple invoice types of varying payment features. The Lightning Bitcoin Wallet supports Bolt 11 LN invoices, LN-URL send and receive, and has a native mobile share drawer integration to make payments or requests with your phone’s contacts via SMS, WhatsApp, Signal, email and more. Mash also allows for customization of your personal account with profile names and avatars to further personalize your Lightning experience on the web-app.
Mash is focused on creating new mediums for content creators to monetize their content, either via direct one-time payments or time-based revenue streams. The choice to avoid centralized app stores such as Google Play was deliberate and carefully made, according to Mash CEO Jared Nusinoff. When asked for comment on the company’s announcement, Nusinoff told Bitcoin Magazine: “Apple and Google have been controlling us all for too long. You should be able to use your Lightning-enabled bitcoin, anywhere, anytime without Big Tech deciding what you can do. That’s why we built a web-app – no app store required.”
More information and details on Mash and the Beta launch of their Lightning Bitcoin Wallet web-app can be found here.