iOS Twitter users now have the ability to accept donations via the Lightning Network. To do this, you need to connect a third-party service such as Cash App to your profile.
Who wants to be the first one to send us some money? https://t.co/o5C77hH1eQ
— Square Crypto (@sqcrypto) September 23, 2021
According to CoinDesk, the feature “coming soon” will arrive in Android apps. Company representatives say the crypto tipping service will be fully based on third‑party solutions, such as Strike. Twitter “is not involved in moving funds” and does not take revenue from payments.
Users in different regions of the world will have access to different solutions. Product manager Esther Crawford noted that Bitcoin and the Lightning Network are exceptions — the tools can be used by people from anywhere in the world.
“We have a wonderful opportunity to choose global, barrier-free options. Bitcoin is the best of them. We know that not everyone in the world is transacting with digital gold yet, but we consider it one of the best solutions,” added Crawford.
News that Twitter is testing Bitcoin donations appeared in early September. At the time, reports indicated the need to use third-party apps to connect the new service.
Later, developer Alessandro Paluzzi published screenshots of the interface, showing how to add Bitcoin and Ethereum addresses to a Twitter profile to receive donations.
The head of the company, Jack Dorsey, has long been an advocate of the Lightning Network. In 2019 he said that integrating the network into Square’s Cash App (also owned by Dorsey) is a matter of time.
In 2020, Square’s cryptocurrency division announced the creation of a development toolkit to simplify the integration of the Lightning Network into wallets.
In addition to Bitcoin tipping, Twitter also outlined plans to add an NFT verification system to the social platform. The plan implies that users will be able to link cryptocurrency wallets to their profiles.
Strike CEO Jack Mallers showed how Bitcoin tips work on Twitter. He sent $10 using a Lightning Network (L2) solution from the United States to El Salvador.
I just published Announcing the Strike API
Today, @Twitter enables free, instant, global payments for their users with their integration of the Strike API.
What the internet did for communication, #Bitcoin + the Lightning Network is doing for money.https://t.co/jHkY6knXkP pic.twitter.com/FXujknG7sM
— Jack Mallers (@jackmallers) September 23, 2021
“Is anyone still planning to use Western Union?”, Mallers said.
In July, Dorsey described Bitcoin as one of the three key trends shaping the future of the social network, alongside artificial intelligence and decentralization.
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