Electrum 4.7.0 released

[cygan]

after a long wait, a new version of Electrum 4.7.0 was presented and released today!
this version comes with several new features and many bug fixes. some of the new features include:

• submarine payments: pay to an on-chain address from your lightning balance (desktop)
• biometric authentication (android)
• lnurl-withdraw: scan qr codes to receive funds

you can read the complete changelog on the following github-link: https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/blob/master/RELEASE-NOTES
and the version can be downloaded here: https://electrum.org/#download

[Yamane_Keto]

A much-anticipated feature has been added: sub-1 sat/b transactions can now be sent on Android.

new: allow manual editing of fee/feerate (#10371)
          This also allows sending sub-1 sat/b transactions on Android.

Biometric authentication will replace PIN code authentication

[Karl_3000]

From what I read on the Android part, there is really good improvement. It was only the fee slider before but now people can customize the fee. People can also be able to pay less than 1 sat/vbyte now on Android.

QML GUI & Android:
   - new: allow manual editing of fee/feerate (#10371)
          This also allows sending sub-1 sat/b transactions on Android.
   - new: support biometric authentication (#10340)
          Allows using the Android system lockscreen (e.g. fingerprints)
          to unlock the wallet and authorize payments.
          The previous optional built-in PIN code authentication is removed.

[nc50lc]

You're faster than F-Droid and Playstore when it comes with publishing these update, nice.

• biometric authentication (android)

Hope this goes well without some hidden issues.
Because the the author of the pull-request partly used LLM to write it, but it's reviewed by one of the main developers and the author fully tested it for more than a month.

Here's that Pull Request for reference: github.com/spesmilo/electrum/pull/10340

[bitmover]

• submarine payments: pay to an on-chain address from your lightning balance (desktop)

I think this is much useful. Although i would really like the opposite as well: pay to a Lightning address from your on chain balance.

I dont like the LN implementation in electrum,  too complex for me and most users

[Mia Chloe]

~snip

Well it's good they finally remembered android after all these while lol... Anyways I hate to say this as an ELECTRUM fan but I'm not too impressed with the updates. I like the fee part but for the biometrics it's a big NO. I don't fancy biometrics that much on most wallets because I find PIN  more effective.

My main point is you can unconsciously hit your fingerprint or worse face ID on iOS and boom transaction has been broadcast but typing your PIN in manually requires some level of mental focus that you may even realise a couple mistakes in the process.

[Karl_3000]

I dont like the LN implementation in electrum,  too complex for me and most users

Yes, the lightning network on Electrum is harder, but that is how lightning network should be, just that some wallets make it simpler for people to be able to use it.

Well it's good they finally remembered android after all these while lol... Anyways I hate to say this as an ELECTRUM fan but I'm not too impressed with the updates. I like the fee part but for the biometrics it's a big NO. I don't fancy biometrics that much on most wallets because I find PIN  more effective.

Biometric authentication was disabled by default after I updated it, you can leave it disabled.

[bitmover]

I dont like the LN implementation in electrum,  too complex for me and most users

Yes, the lightning network on Electrum is harder, but that is how lightning network should be, just that some wallets make it simpler for people to be able to use it.

It shouldn't be like that
 It is just a bad implementation .

Any software can have a good UX (user experience). A software with bad UX is jsut bad software.

It might be perfect in the technical side. But UX is also important.

[Forsyth Jones]

Well it's good they finally remembered android after all these while lol... Anyways I hate to say this as an ELECTRUM fan but I'm not too impressed with the updates. I like the fee part but for the biometrics it's a big NO. I don't fancy biometrics that much on most wallets because I find PIN  more effective.

My main point is you can unconsciously hit your fingerprint or worse face ID on iOS and boom transaction has been broadcast but typing your PIN in manually requires some level of mental focus that you may even realise a couple mistakes in the process.

I agree Chloe, but it seems that's optional, it's still possible to use the default PIN. I prefer the Electrum desktop version instead. I never really paid much attention to the mobile version.

It is just a bad implementation .

Any software can have a good UX (user experience). A software with bad UX is jsut bad software.

It might be perfect in the technical side. But UX is also important.

I remember when I tested the Lightning Network on Electrum with testnet around 2020, they said I had to back up the channels. Well, I did, restored the backup and my LN balance didn't appear. Then I got discouraged and never tried again.

I think a Phoenix Wallet is much more efficient when it comes to LN. Who here is using Electrum's Lightning Network?

And Taproot, nothing yet, huh? 

[Mia Chloe]

I agree Chloe, but it seems that's optional, it's still possible to use the default PIN. I prefer the Electrum desktop version instead. I never really paid much attention to the mobile version.

Yeah I know they are gonna make it optional. Nevertheless the problem is there are not many nice bitcoin only wallets for mobile and someone that probably uses a hot wallet needs one just to make sure he's safe to an extent. My only issue with Electrum mobile is that it's not meeting up to the standard of that of the desktop version.

That aside, If you check one reason people don't use lightning network is because they see it too complex even if it's not that complicated. Eventually when these people get hold of a PC they still end up using centralized exchanges or custodial wallets.

[Karl_3000]

That aside, If you check one reason people don't use lightning network is because they see it too complex even if it's not that complicated. Eventually when these people get hold of a PC they still end up using centralized exchanges or custodial wallets.

If you use wallet like Phoenix that Forsyth Jones mentioned, you will think that lightning network is easy like the bitcoin on the blockchain. You do not need to create a channel with another person like it is on Electrum, the wallet will do everything automatically for you which makes it simple. There are some other wallets like Zeus bitcoin lightning wallet that is simple like that. This is what bitmover is also talking about and he really has a point.

[bitmover]

I agree Chloe, but it seems that's optional, it's still possible to use the default PIN. I prefer the Electrum desktop version instead. I never really paid much attention to the mobile version.

Yeah I know they are gonna make it optional. Nevertheless the problem is there are not many nice bitcoin only wallets for mobile and someone that probably uses a hot wallet needs one just to make sure he's safe to an extent. My only issue with Electrum mobile is that it's not meeting up to the standard of that of the desktop version.

That aside, If you check one reason people don't use lightning network is because they see it too complex even if it's not that complicated. Eventually when these people get hold of a PC they still end up using centralized exchanges or custodial wallets.

I dont think that creating a channel is the problem with Electrum implementation of lightning network.

I used Eclair which also needed you to create a channel. But it wasn't so complicated , the UX was better than electrum

I love electrum for onchain transactions.  I am just talking about LN