EttaWallet: new Lightning Wallet for iOS & Android📱

[cygan]

with this thread i would like to introduce you to a new open source non-custodial ln wallet.
through this tweet from Rukundo i also came across the EttaWallet. the wallet was inspired by the Bitcoin design community, with a strong focus on usability, accessibility and good ux
EttaWallet is 100% open source and is developed for android and ios devices.


https://github.com/EttaWallet/EttaWallet
https://github.com/EttaWallet/etta-ui
https://twitter.com/EttaWallet

[Yamane_Keto]

Bookmarked it! I will give it a try, but the project is very experimental, so I do not advise newbies to download it.

What caught my attention is the word Cloud Backups. Did we start the era of storing seeds on the cloud? Even if it is a lightning wallet, for daily use and seed backup is encrypted, but why more wallets give the possibility of seed sharing to the Cloud? it is confusing.

[cygan]

✂️
i wonder what does UGX mean? Altcoin? Fiat?

what UGX means in this case, i could not find out yet. the whole project was developed by the Bitcoin community from uganda and kenya and is supposed to be used mainly in the african region - of course users from other regions of the world are also welcome to use this new ln wallet
here is a link to a more detailed description: https://rukundo.mataroa.blog/blog/introducing-ettawallet/

[Yamane_Keto]

There are fair amount of non-custodial LN wallet for mobile device, but i guess there's nothing wrong with additional option for those who use mobile device. Although there's no guide or tutorial, so i wouldn't bother with it for now. But looking at the screenshot, i wonder what does UGX mean? Altcoin? Fiat?

Ugandan Shilling (local currency) According to his Twitter account he is developing a project related to Africa.

[mk4]

Anyone not-lazy tried this yet? How simple is the UX compared to Phoenix Wallet? I haven't seen any Lightning wallet that's best for non-technical noobs than Phoenix wallet.

[TryNinja]

I would love to try this, but it looks like it's not on the App Store yet. Unfortunately, building our own apps on iOS is a complete pain in the ass... totally inviable.

And the wallet only works with the testnet so far?

[dkbit98]

EttaWallet is 100% open source and is developed for android and ios devices.

There is no official website I could find, EttaWallet twitter account didn't post anything so far, so only thing we have is a fresh github account.
I wouldn't jump right on to use this device for more that testing with few sats, and I don't recommend it is standard LN wallet, but I like they started with open source code.

[BitMaxz]

Ugandan Shilling (local currency) According to his Twitter account he is developing a project related to Africa.

Currently based on their Github they only have UGX(Ugandan Shilling) its a fiat value or total value of your Bitcoin in UGX. Its their local currency from bank of Uganda. They don't have other fiat yet like USD, CAD, EUR or any major currency.

So I think this wallet was developed only for people who living on east africa.

[Yamane_Keto]

So I think this wallet was developed only for people who living on east africa.

It seems that the project is part of an initiative in Africa, but according to their plan, wallet supports multiple languages and locales, and therefore I expect that more languages and currencies will be added, although their main focus is on the local market, and even about Lightning Service Provider, I liken it to some services that spread in Africa, where you can SMS payment.

The project is developing with individual effort and it seems that their goal is mostly local, so the project is not for beginners or as an IOS LN wallet, as I do not expect it to get many reviews.

[yudi09]

Just like TryNinja, I've also tried to search on Google Play/Play Store on Android but the Ettawallet app isn't available yet.
The information I got from their GitHub seems that this EttaWallet is a new software wallet.

The features they provide look pretty good.

• Bitcoin only wallet
• Non-custodial
• Lightning via LDK and Electrum
• Supports multiple languages and locales
• Accessibility baked-in (Haptic feedback, screen reader support)
• Biometrics security: Fingerprint, Touch ID, FaceID
• Scan QR codes
• Just-In-Time liquidity with zero-conf channels
• Open new channels
• Automated channel creation via LSP
• Local backups
• Cloud backups
• Connect over TOR
• LNURL support
• Contacts (For BOLT 12 offers, Lightning addresses, etc)
• Toggle dark mode

source; https://github.com/EttaWallet/EttaWallet#features

OP, have any of us ever tried using this app since the information about this wallet was shared? because I also have the desire to try it.

[NotATether]

I would love to try this, but it looks like it's not on the App Store yet. Unfortunately, building our own apps on iOS is a complete pain in the ass... totally inviable.

Most iOS apps that are in Beta use the Testflight app for distributing it to a closed set of users. But yeah that doesn't really change the fact that development is such a PITA if you don't have a Mac, or even if you have an old Mac. Personally I have a hackintosh VM but it takes several minutes for the iOS simulators to even boot in XCode, and the lag between UI state updates as you edit the code is just way too much.

[joniboini]

source; https://github.com/EttaWallet/EttaWallet#features
OP, have any of us ever tried using this app since the information about this wallet was shared? because I also have the desire to try it.

Based on the GitHub page, it seems like you need to build it yourself to try the app. You need to fork the repo and then install it on your Android or iOS (emulators should also work). I think the developer's intention with his early announcement is to look for contributors or testers. Definitely still in a very early phase and not targeted for public usage. Maybe you can wait for a few weeks or so since the developer stated that people can learn more about it further in the following weeks.

What caught my attention is the word Cloud Backups. Did we start the era of storing seeds on the cloud? Even if it is a lightning wallet, for daily use and seed backup is encrypted, but why more wallets give the possibility of seed sharing to the Cloud? it is confusing.

The design is inspired by this[1], so I guess the developer simply agrees with the explanation that providing a cloud option is useful for its users as long as they don't use it for high-value amounts. It is a wallet data/file upload if I understand it correctly, not a seed backup. I believe the risk is still the same regardless, especially because the added pin protection is limited to 4 digits only. CMIIW.

[1] https://bitcoin.design/guide/daily-spending-wallet/backup-and-recovery/cloud-backup/

[Yamane_Keto]

The design is inspired by this[1], so I guess the developer simply agrees with the explanation that providing a cloud option is useful for its users as long as they don't use it for high-value amounts. It is a wallet data/file upload if I understand it correctly, not a seed backup. I believe the risk is still the same regardless, especially because the added pin protection is limited to 4 digits only. CMIIW.

[1] https://bitcoin.design/guide/daily-spending-wallet/backup-and-recovery/cloud-backup/

The increase of such services to the point of making them normal is disgusting, being your bank means that no third party can access your currencies, their argument that the automatic cloud reduces pressure and responsibility on the user is a weak argument, whoever cannot believe 12 words or was lazy let him use HIS BANK account, not a bitcoin wallet.

This point stopped me because it indicates indirectly that the wallet recovery data before it is sent to the cloud provider may not be encrypted and therefore it is an additional risk or greater trust in the cloud service provider.

While this is an easier way for users to set up a wallet, it brings in the potential threat of malicious third-party access. If a user’s cloud account is hacked, their funds could be compromised. This can be mitigated by encrypting the wallet recovery data before sending it to the cloud provider.

[joniboini]

This point stopped me because it indicates indirectly that the wallet recovery data before it is sent to the cloud provider may not be encrypted and therefore it is an additional risk or greater trust in the cloud service provider.

I believe uploading an unencrypted wallet backup is impossible since the user must input the 4-digit pin. That being said, the security is still questionable due to the limitation of the password/encryption method. While they don't upload a seed/private key to cloud backup, the time required to crack the wallet backup is definitely short. No one should rely on this backup method if they want security. CMIIW.