Aqua wallet - Bitcoin, Lightning, Liquid

[Pmalek]

According to a review published on Stacker News, they originally had terms which stated that Aqua Wallet had the right to collect KYC information.

Perhaps the original idea was to make the wallet custodial. A non-custodial wallet has no way to enforce KYC on a user who can simply ignore their requests and take their coins elsewhere if they don't want to comply. Only a custodial service can freeze your assets and ask you to verify your identity to regain access.

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[dkbit98]

Isn't aqua wallet an old blockstream wallet?

There was an old Aqua wallet from Blockstream, but Jan3 took over development from them.

Maybe they broke apart from blockstream? But they are still using Liquid, like green wallet.

They are totally different company but they cooperate and they are both part of federation system for Liquid network, with other companies around the word.

Aqua wallet LN is a bit frustrating.

Not at all, even grandmas can use this wallet, it is that simple.
However, this is not meant to be LN-only wallet, but it uses seed words so it is much safer than custodial LN wallets.

The last few days, BTCSessions (Ben Perrin) had been talking about Aqua Wallet, and in his latest episode of "Why Are We Bullish?"

I watched it, very good show.
Guys from Jan3 confirmed that Aqua source code will be released as open source in one or two weeks max, they are currently cleaning the code from junk.

It shows three kinds of Tether (Liquid, Ethereum and Tron), and I am wondering what is "Liquid Tether"?

L-USDT is the same as Tether but not using any altcoin blockchains.
You can easily swap L-USDT for L-BTC, and fees are much lower than on-chain.

According to a review published on Stacker News, they originally had terms which stated that Aqua Wallet had the right to collect KYC information.

This is only for third-party partner services, like upcoming debit cards or similar stuff they are going to offer.


Aqua wallet just got approved and released on g00gle Play store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.aquawallet.android

[dkbit98]

As promised Aqua wallet developers just released code as open source on their github page with latest update v0.1.19.
With new update there are some improvements, bug fixes and they finally added new dark theme mod.
You can download new Aqua wallet on github as apk, on g00gle and apple store, and F-droid release is coming soon.

Official github:
https://github.com/AquaWallet/aqua-wallet/releases/tag/v0.1.19

Read more information on Aqua blog page:
https://jan3.com/blog/aqua-wallet-now-open-source-software/

[bitmover]

As promised Aqua wallet developers just released code as open source on their github page with latest update v0.1.19.
With new update there are some improvements, bug fixes and they finally added new dark theme mod.
You can download new Aqua wallet on github as apk, on g00gle and apple store, and F-droid release is coming soon.

Good news.

I am already using aqua wallet in my phone.

I will soon add L-BTC to bitcoindata.science  (in donations page and in the balance Checker tool).

But I also found something interesting about liquid.

Ledger Nano S model (the old one) supports liquid network, while new models doesn't

Liquid app only available on Ledger Nano S

Please note that the Liquid app is only available on the Ledger Nano S as it was developed a long time ago, and its developers have not released any updates since then. Ledger Nano X and Ledger Blue don't support the Liquid app.
https://support.ledger.com/hc/en-us/articles/360013451019-Liquid-L-BTC?docs=true

[dkbit98]

I am already using aqua wallet in my phone.

Good to hear that you started drinking some of the Aqua Liquid
They are also working on desktop wallet, so keep an eye on that.
Also make sure not to keep all your fortune in Liquid assets, move BTC on-chain when fees are lower.

I will soon add L-BTC to bitcoindata.science  (in donations page and in the balance Checker tool).

Thanks!

Ledger Nano S model (the old one) supports liquid network, while new models doesn't

I knew that ledger nano s supports liquid, but I don't understand why would they remove support for other models, another strange decision from ledger team.  
Anyway, Jade hardware wallet would probably be better, and you can also use Green wallet and Specter desktop wallet for Liquid assets.
I was talking with Satochip team and they think adding L-BTC and L-USDT could be an interesting idea.

[satscraper]

I just got my hands on a brand new mobile wallet for bitcoin called Aqua wallet.


Have you tested Aqua wallet and what do you think about it?

After reading your info here I have installed  Aqua  on my iPhone and tested it during couple of weeks.

Yesterday iOS flavor of this  wallet was elevated to v. 0.1.22 .

The most noticeable feature (brought by the latest 0.1.22 update) is support of available  swaps on Marketplace.

So far so good, I go on with testing.

[JayJuanGee]

I just got my hands on a brand new mobile wallet for bitcoin called Aqua wallet.

Have you tested Aqua wallet and what do you think about it?

After reading your info here I have installed  Aqua  on my iPhone and tested it during couple of weeks.

Yesterday iOS flavor of this  wallet was elevated to v. 0.1.22 .

The most noticeable feature (brought by the latest 0.1.22 update) is support of available  swaps on Marketplace.

So far so good, I go on with testing.

I had to update twice.. and then now I see the ability to swap.. I was kind of waiting for this feature because it could allow some ways to be able to use lightning network when the onchain fees have gone up but channels had not been created in advance.. even on Phoenix I had seen 40k to 60k satoshi ($25-$40) channel creation fees, but now they seem to have had come down into the 8k to 9k satoshi ($2.50 to $4) arena.. at least somewhat temporarily.  So yeah testing out some sending and receiving but also testing out some swapping might give some ideas regarding the competitiveness of the fees..

And frequently I am concerned about how poor people (or even people who engage in a lot of smaller amount transactions) manage their fees when they sometimes are creating a lot of very low value (such as less than $100) UTXOs, and there sometimes will need to be routes around how to maybe create some intermediate levels of holding coins.. so maybe if there is skepticism of holding coins with 3rd parties or holding on some of the lightning network services, this aqua could serve as a kind of intermediary.. but still likely not good for storage, but if someone might be building up his UTXO amount to get it to be in the $500-$1k range prior to creating a UTXO and sending to a private wallet, then this Aqua wallet might be a good intermediary way to accomplish such task.

[dkbit98]

The most noticeable feature (brought by the latest 0.1.22 update) is support of available  swaps on Marketplace.

Swap feature was always available for android version, and only reason why it wasn't available for iPhones is because of strict terms their store have for approving apps.

but still likely not good for storage, but if someone might be building up his UTXO amount to get it to be in the $500-$1k range prior to creating a UTXO and sending to a private wallet, then this Aqua wallet might be a good intermediary way to accomplish such task.

Not good for storage YET, but support for hardware wallets is coming soon.
I would say that it is much safer to keep L-BTC on Aqua wallet or in Jade hardware wallet, than to keep anything in Lightning Network.
This wallet is not meant for large amount of coins, it should be used for spending and/or for consolidation, you swap to Bitcoin and move to cold storage as savings.

[n0nce]

I would say that it is much safer to keep L-BTC on Aqua wallet or in Jade hardware wallet, than to keep anything in Lightning Network.
This wallet is not meant for large amount of coins, it should be used for spending and/or for consolidation, you swap to Bitcoin and move to cold storage as savings.

It's not as clear-cut, though. Lightning is fully permissionless, way closer to the Bitcoin ethos than a permissioned sidechain. On L-BTC you do have that dependence on the 'Liquid Federation':

While it's not fully permissionless like Bitcoin, Liquid is fault-tolerant, censorship-resistant, and has different trade-offs than other second layers like Lightning.

They say it themselves; the trade-offs are different, not necessarily better or 'much safer'.

If you run your own Lightning node and / or use watchtowers, I'd say that Lightning is safer, since I can close channels on my own terms whenever I want, and there is no federation or anyone else who could prevent me from doing so. I have full control over my channels and what I do with them, at all times. In that sense, you could say it's more safe, because there is no risk of getting my funds locked by an external party.

On the other hand, if you use something like a mobile Lightning wallet that's offline most of the time and your channels have too short lock times, your channel partner (usually the developer of the wallet) could steal your funds, though.

The real, definitive answer to what's more secure is: 'it depends'.

[dkbit98]

If you run your own Lightning node and / or use watchtowers

That is a lot of IF's, and let's face it Lightning Network alone will never be so popular and easy to use for the masses.
I heard many issues people had with channels and bunch of different wallets, than you also have to pay transaction fees each time you open and close channels.
I didn't say Aqua is better for everyone, it's better for me and it has LN integrated, so I can send and receive LN payments also if I want.
And yes, I know Liquid is federated network, that is why I said it's not meant to be used for keeping savings.

[apogio]

I am interested in knowing more about the Liquid aspect of Bitcoin.

I have tested it with Blockstream Green and I liked it so far, but I need to study more about Liquid Bitcoin.

Has anyone ever used Green? I am interested in comparing these 2 wallets (Green and Aqua), but only for the Liquid Bitcoin and not the other features. Are there any significant differences?

Perhaps dkbit98 can help me? I see that you point out Green above.

[dkbit98]

Has anyone ever used Green? I am interested in comparing these 2 wallets (Green and Aqua), but only for the Liquid Bitcoin and not the other features. Are there any significant differences?

I did use both Green and Aqua wallet.
Green desktop wallet is better if you want to use BTC and L-BTC with hardware wallets (Jade or ledger s), so it's much more secure, but you can use it standalone also.
Aqua mobile wallet is more used for spending and accepting smaller payments in LN and L-BTC, this is something in between Lightning and on-chain bitcoin, but you have all of them supported.
Advantage of Aqua wallet is that it has integrated swaps, and it can accept USDT from other chains and convert it to Liquid.

All wallets currently supporting Liquid assets (L-BTC, L-USDT, etc):

• Aqua wallet
• Green wallet
• Specter wallet
• Jade HW
• Ledger HW

[apogio]

I did use both Green and Aqua wallet.
Green desktop wallet is better if you want to use BTC and L-BTC with hardware wallets (Jade or ledger s), so it's much more secure, but you can use it standalone also.
Aqua mobile wallet is more used for spending and accepting smaller payments in LN and L-BTC, this is something in between Lightning and on-chain bitcoin, but you have all of them supported.
Advantage of Aqua wallet is that it has integrated swaps, and it can accept USDT from other chains and convert it to Liquid.

All wallets currently supporting Liquid assets (L-BTC, L-USDT, etc):

• Aqua wallet
• Green wallet
• Specter wallet
• Jade HW
• Ledger HW

Thank you. As far as I know, Green wallet doesn't support LN payments, but only on-chain and Liquid.
I think Aqua also supports buying BTC, but Green doesn't.

Anyway, have you concluded which one is best for you (as a mobile wallet only)?

[dkbit98]

Aqua wallet released new version v0.1.30 few days ago so please update when you can:
https://github.com/AquaWallet/aqua-wallet

Liquid network released updated open source explorer version that has much more information about live federation audit system.
Design is very similar like well known mempool.space explorer for mainnet bitcoin:


https://liquid.network/

[bitmover]

Aqua wallet released new version v0.1.30 few days ago so please update when you can:
https://github.com/AquaWallet/aqua-wallet

Liquid network released updated open source explorer version that has much more information about live federation audit system.
Design is very similar like well known mempool.space explorer for mainnet bitcoin:


https://liquid.network/

I just received my first lightning network transaction using aqua wallet.

Very straight forward.  No need to open a channel. Very simple to use and Very efficient.

The easiest implementation of LN I have seen so far

[apogio]

I have no balance to check it, so please can you tell me if the wallet supports coin control for on-chain transactions? I could just fund my wallet and then try to see if I can choose coins, but I can't fund it at the moment, so I would appreciate it. Thanks.

[bitmover]

I have no balance to check it, so please can you tell me if the wallet supports coin control for on-chain transactions? I could just fund my wallet and then try to see if I can choose coins, but I can't fund it at the moment, so I would appreciate it. Thanks.

I have only LN balance, so I can't confirm.

It doesn't look like they do. I see no option for that in the app menu

[apogio]

I have no balance to check it, so please can you tell me if the wallet supports coin control for on-chain transactions? I could just fund my wallet and then try to see if I can choose coins, but I can't fund it at the moment, so I would appreciate it. Thanks.

I have only LN balance, so I can't confirm.

It doesn't look like they do. I see no option for that in the app menu

Yeap I thought so. It's better than WoS though because of it supporting Liquid and also being non custodial. I will give it a try and I will let people know. To be honest I am more interested in the LN aspect of the app.

[bitmover]

I have no balance to check it, so please can you tell me if the wallet supports coin control for on-chain transactions? I could just fund my wallet and then try to see if I can choose coins, but I can't fund it at the moment, so I would appreciate it. Thanks.

I have only LN balance, so I can't confirm.

It doesn't look like they do. I see no option for that in the app menu

Yeap I thought so. It's better than WoS though because of it supporting Liquid and also being non custodial. I will give it a try and I will let people know. To be honest I am more interested in the LN aspect of the app.

The LN implementation is very good imo. The best I have ever seen.

I am surprised by the fact that so few mobile wallets support coin control. Such a basic feature, missing in basically every wallet. I miss coinomi 

[apogio]

The LN implementation is very good imo. The best I have ever seen.

I am surprised by the fact that so few mobile wallets support coin control. Such a basic feature, missing in basically every wallet. I miss coinomi 

For android I would suggest BlueWallet and Electrum. If you want to have the best features in a strong open source wallet. But the topic is about Aqua. I believe they should add coin control. Perhaps the should be told that in a feature request. But as I said, I am not entirely sure I will use it, so I won't request this feature for the time being. I think about sending some funds and using it strictly as an LN wallet. But I use Phoenix which is good so far and WoS for smaller amounts which is also good despite being custodial.