I noticed that downloads of mobile wallets really surge during the last weeks. I've seen this on other wallet apps as well, but here is the example of the "installations per day" chart of Bitcoin Wallet (which just released version 3.0 by the way).  |
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I'm proud to announce version 3.0 of Bitcoin Wallet. The changes are massive: - Now requires Gingerbread (Android 2.3.3) or later.
- Export/import encrypted private key backups to/from mail or online storage.
- Switch to new block store format, uses seriously less internal storage and doesn't grow.
- New installs are instantly fully updated and useable.
- Got rid of block chain snapshot in APK, installs updates much faster.
- Lots of small improvements and bugfixes.
- Based on bitcoinj 0.8.
If you want to take advantage of the new block store format, you need to reset your blockchain once (Options > Settings > Reset Blockchain). Download/update from Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.schildbach.wallet(update will become available during the next hours) Direct download: https://code.google.com/p/bitcoin-wallet/downloads/listSource: https://code.google.com/p/bitcoin-wallet/source/checkoutThanks to everyone who contributed to Bitcoin Wallet and bitcoinj. Mike Hearn again invested lots of work to make mobile wallets work just as snappy as online wallets, but without the disadvantages of online wallets. |
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Changing the pencil icon to a $ sign would help with discoverability a lot. I've been encouraging Andreas to hide the fee widget behind an advanced button or something, that would free up some space to make both fiat and btc equal partners on the screen.
$ is a nice idea, however has got the problem it does not work so well for Euro and other currencies. I agree that the fee field has to go, but think that first proper fee rules need to be implemented so that users have no need to adjust. |
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Had an issue on 3.0 with screen rotation when scanning QR codes, a crash error pops up but I was a long way from sober and the reporting tool confused the hell out of me.
If you can reproduce that, I'd be happy if you tell me the email you used for reporting and if you open an issue in the tracker. Couple of suggestions. Show fiat value when entering amounts and/or allow fiat values to be entered.
Already implemented since two years. It's hidden behind the edit button on each amount field. Was going to change it to inline (have code for that on a branch), but I am not convinced its currently the right thing to do. Big drunken idiot proof buttons for send and receive, address book, QR or enter address on next send screen,
There not a lot of space for big buttons. Can you separate this out a bit? last amounts and labels on receive screen etc.
Whats the receive screen? What does last amount mean? A lot of folks are asking me about Bitcoin and nearly all of them have android phones, so far 3 have bought coins off me there and then. The blockchain updating was a bit of an irritation to them but it was more or less enough time for a cup of coffee so not bad.
Version 3.0 will do away with initial blockchain download. You can try already: http://code.google.com/p/bitcoin-wallet/downloads/list |
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Is this client a thin client or does it actually store the block chain? I'd imagine on the limited space on phones it likely does not store the whole blockchain.
Also, is it easily extendible to support other alt-coins?
Its a so called SPV client (simple payment verification). That basically means full security for confirmed transactions and ok security for pending transactions. It does not store the blockchain, only the transactions that are relevant to your wallet. That's probably the best you can get on a mobile (storage space limited) device. |
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Yeah, I guess we'll find out soon. When 3.0 is released, I'll roll an update for BlackBerry.
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I updated the previews. It now can backup private keys to email and dropbox-style services. Also, there is a simple block explorer (activate in labs preferences).
Does it support Owncloud? The online storage services need to provide an intent filter in their app. See Google Drive as an example. |
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Maybe it would be acceptable to users to allow faster blockchain syncing by downloading a signed (with my developer key) base block to start with, let's just say block 320,000. That way, if I understand correctly, they could start from there and verify everything after it, still strengthening the network once they catch up. The signed data could be distributed embedded in the app (which is also signed). This feature could be defaulted to OFF to allow the user to elect this behavior. Thoughts?
Checkpointing is a decent idea to help with initial sync speed. For maximum safety, the checkpoint should be based on a block that is a few hundred blocks behind the current block. The BuildCheckpoints tool from bitcoinj-tools does exactly that, although the threshold is based on time (currently one month). There is no benefit in opting out of checkpointing - you already trust the app to do the right thing. If anything, a couple of developers should audit the checkpoints file that goes live with a release. |
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Übermorgen, also am Do um 19 Uhr ist es wieder soweit. Ich stosse wie immer um ca. 21 Uhr zu euch. Im Gepäch die Beta-Version von Bitcoin Wallet 3.0... (-:
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Note that in the Bitcoin Wallet repo there is a bitcoinj-0.8 branch that will become version 3.0 soon. I'd cherry-pick some of the commits, like support for checkpoints. Ah yes, and please replace my wallet@schildbach.de email address by something you own. I'm already starting to receive reports... |
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I promoted the previews to beta and included the latest code. It is now ready for a big round of testing! Would you help making this the most complete release ever? As always, you can get the test versions from: http://code.google.com/p/bitcoin-wallet/downloads/listThere is also a more detailed list of changes: http://bitcoin-wallet.googlecode.com/git-history/bitcoinj-0.8/wallet/CHANGESYou can now report issues by using Options -> Settings -> Diagnostics -> Report Issue. If your issue is somehow related to your specific wallet, feel free to add the wallet dump (no private keys will be exposed). If you haven't backed up your private keys yet, now is a good time to do: Options -> Backup Keys -> Export private keys. |
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Adapting a version of Bitcoin Wallet that uses litecoinj rather than bitcoinj should be fairly easy, anyone can do that and collect the bounty.
However, my vision is a bit more sophisticated: Rather than having separate apps for each chain, I want to use only one app that integrates everything payment-related.
In order to get there, we need to
1. get litecoinj merged into bitcoinj
2. extend Bitcoin Wallet to support multiple wallets
3. extend Bitcoin Wallet to support multiple chains
4. get litecoin on the latest protocol
ad 1: I think it would be best if someone would speak up on the bitcoinj mailing list and explain the plans (Alex?). Usually Mike, the lead developer, has very valuable feedback. Be prepared to write a lot of unit tests, if you haven't done already.
ad 2: This is something that has to happen anyways. Its kind of a prerequisite for encrypted wallets and HD wallets, and of course also multiple chains. I plan to work on it as soon as Bitcoin Wallet version 3.0 is released (hopefully within a month).
ad 3: I had this already planned as well. Currently I'm already maintaining two apps (Prodnet and Testnet), and its a pita sometimes. The tricky part here will be memory consumption and resources in general. Its already stressful to download one chain, but multiple chains? It's safe to assume that you will need powerful (Jelly Bean class) hardware for this.
ad 4: Protocol version 70001 (Bitcoind/bitcoin-qt 0.8.x) contains a very important enhancement for SPV clients called Bloom Filters. It saves a huge amount of traffic, RAM and CPU cycles. Without these optimizations, mobile clients simply can't scale. What's the plan with litecoin for this?
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When updating, there is a short time where the app is in an undefined state: The app directory is there (including the app data) and the launcher knows about the app, but the app itself is uninstalled. If you try to start the app in this state, you'll get errors (depending on the launcher).
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I updated the previews. It now can backup private keys to email and dropbox-style services. Also, there is a simple block explorer (activate in labs preferences).
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Someone should port the Android runtime over to Windows Phone. This will solve all the app problems with one strike.
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I'm looking for one. Blockchain doesn't, AFAIK
Can you define the usecase? I was planning to support this in Bitcoin Wallet eventually. |
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I just uploaded testnet and prodnet previews of the next major version (probably 3.0?) to the download page at http://code.google.com/p/bitcoin-wallet/downloads/listIt includes the latest bitcoinj 0.8 snapshot. Notable user-facing changes: - Instant initial app setup for new users. No need for any blockchain download before you can receive the first payment!
- Reduced app size to just 1.5 MB (down from 15 MB) by not carrying a blockchain snapshot any more
- Reduced blockchain storage requirement to less than 1 MB (down from 25 MB+)
- Increased speed of blockchain replay (needed in case of key imports or error recovery)
Plus some small enhancements and bugfixes which already went into the stable release 2.44 I put up on Google Play today. Important: By default all of the enhancements only become active for new installs. If you want to benefit, you need to reset and replay the blockchain once. This will upgrade you to a new block store format. After that, if you decide to go back to the last stable release 2.44, the app will force close once, removing the block store. Just start it a second time and it will replay the chain using the old format again. As always, treat previews with care. Make sure you've got a backup of your private keys. Bugs can be reported in the issue tracker at http://code.google.com/p/bitcoin-wallet/issues/list |
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