No Internet? No Problem! TxTenna – the First App That Lets You Use Bitcoin Offline

Internet is not available at all times to all people. Mobile data services can be disrupted and free WiFi is not easily accessible in certain locations across the globe. This is one of the key reasons why Samourai Wallet partnered with goTenna to create the first mobile app for storing and sending Bitcoin that works offline. goTenna specialises in developing consumer-grade mesh networking devices which operate on a peer-to-peer basis.

As crypto asset analyst Yassine Elmandjra explained in a series of tweets: Long story short: you don’t need the internet to use Bitcoin. […]TxTenna will enable off-grid broadcasts of signed Bitcoin transactions from @SamouraiWallet. This is huge.

TxTenna – Privacy and Security for Bitcoin Holders

The new Bitcoin wallet mobile app will allow users to store, send and receive the cryptocurrency using a decentralised mesh network. The TxTenna app, developed by Samourai Wallet engineers using the goTenna SDK, generates a signal connecting one unit (mobile phone) to other units within a specific range.

This signal is not dependent on mobile phone providers’ cells or internet connection. It is, as the official site states, an “off-grid” service that guarantees the users’ privacy, security and avoidance of local censorship in holding and performing transactions with BTC. According to the project’s team, TxTenna is also “more secure than a hot wallet and more accessible than cold storage.”

A New Way to Send and Receive BTC

Richard Myers, the DApp engineer at goTenna explained the principle behind the new TxTenna mobile app:

“Using the Samourai Wallet app the user creates a standard bitcoin transaction and signs it. This is possible while offline and without wifi or mobile access. The Samourai Wallet app then passes the offline transaction to the TxTenna App and TxTenna broadcasts it to nearby mesh nodes via a paired goTenna mesh device. Other goTenna devices in the area relay the transaction until an internet connected goTenna node also running TxTenna receives it and forwards it to the Bitcoin network.”

Samourai Wallet – Cutting the Ties with Traditional Money

Samourai Wallet is committed to creating a new paradigm in the way people perceive and use monetary values. On September 28, the company announced a new update to their Bitcoin wallet which eliminates fiat currency values for the users’ wallet balance. Instead of US dollars, Samourai Wallet users can see their balance expressed only in satoshi, the smallest unit of BTC, for all the digital currencies they hold.

The company explained its decision in a blog post, stating that it is fundamental that our existing and future users understand that when they transact within the Bitcoin network, when they participate in the Bitcoin economy, they are transacting with the token native to the Bitcoin network, BTC, and nothing else.

TxTenna Is Now Available for Download

Are you ready to try this new type of crypto wallet? TxTenna has just been launched. For now, it is only available for Android phones. There is no news at the moment whether Samourai Wallet and goTenna will work to develop an iOS app as well.

Want to learn more about Bitcoin wallets? We created a simple guide just for you.