Mash, a Lightning-enabled micropayment project focused on monetizing content, has announced that their Lightning Bitcoin Wallet is entering beta and is now available for download. To circumvent potential app store censorship — a precedent set with Apple’s App Store and Nostr client Damus — Mash has enabled downloading of their progressive web app directly from your mobile’s browser.
The web app itself can be saved directly to your Android or iOS home screen by simply visiting their website, enabling Lightning Network interoperability for your smartphone in one minute. A user can create an account, use a credit card to start a bitcoin bonus account or deposit satoshis from a variety of popular lightning wallets. With easy-to-use send and receive interfaces, the Mash Lightning Bitcoin Wallet generates a Lightning address that works and appears like an email address, but with support for core functionality for Lightning clients.
The web app includes a prominent Smart QR code scanner that can recognize multiple invoice types with different payment attributes. The Lightning Bitcoin wallet supports Bolt 11 LN invoices, send and receive LN URL, and has a native mobile sharing drawer integration to make payments or requests with your phone’s contacts via SMS, WhatsApp, Signal, Email and more. Mash also allows you to customize your personal account with profile names and avatars to further personalize your Lightning experience on the web app.
Mash focuses on creating new media for content creators to monetize their content, either through instant one-time payments or time-based revenue streams. The choice to avoid centralized app stores like Google Play was made consciously and carefully, says Mash CEO Jared Nusinoff. When asked to comment on the company’s announcement, Nusinoff told Bitcoin Magazine, “Apple and Google have controlled us all for too long. You should be able to use your Lightning-enabled bitcoin anywhere, anytime without Big Tech deciding what you want.” so we built a web app – no app store required.”
More information and details about Mash and the beta launch of their Lightning Bitcoin Wallet web app can be found here.
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