Calling all beta testers!
Help create the ideal cryptocurrency wallet
What would you like your ideal cryptocurrency wallet app to have? A nice UI, support for your favorite coin, some cool functionalities? Well, it’s your chance to voice that opinion.
Today I’ll be talking about Cashu, a new mobile cryptocurrency wallet. The reason for doing this is that at a recent meetup in my hometown of Belo Horizonte, I was surprised to find that an attendee was developing this wallet, and needed beta testers to help improve it. I loved the fact that this was happening so close to me, and that I had the chance to actually suggest improvements, so I decided to open that opportunity up for others.
A little background
Cashu launched on the Android Play Store this year, and is currently in its BETA version. It supports a little over 20 of the largest cryptocurrencies, and private keys are derived from the mnemonic seed phrase which is stored in your device and the password set by you, requested when signing transactions. The private key itself is not stored anywhere. The wallet was developed by Rodrigo Ferreira (AKA ‘raugfer’), an experienced Brazilian developer who has a PhD and extensive experience in the field, having worked in a variety of countries worldwide. It is the first Brazilian mobile wallet I have heard of.
My first thoughts
So, as a beta tester myself, I would like to share some of my initial feedback below.
- 👍: The wallet has a smooth-looking UI. I have personally used Coinomi for over a year now as a mobile multi-currency wallet, and Cashu does look nicer in my opinion.
- 👍: Cashu has testnet support for all currencies. For me, a person who uses testnets regularly, that’s a big differential.
- 👎: Cashu does not tell you what testnet is being used. That is not a problem for most currencies, but it is an issue when using platforms that have multiple widely-used testnets, such as Ethereum.
- 👎: I don’t like that the initial screen is a list of all the currencies. I would prefer a different starting screen, and think that each user should have their own panel with the currencies they use, instead of having to look through all supported currencies to find the one you want to use.
- 👍: Cashu is fully open-source.
- 👍: There are constant updates with new improvements and support for more currencies, and the setbacks of the wallet are explicitly mentioned in its description on Google Play, showing awareness regarding the issues that must be fixed.
- 👎: It’s possible to create a wallet without a password, yet the wallet requests the input of a password when signing a transaction. A user who did not set a password in the first place will not be able to sign transactions.
Overall, the wallet looks quite nice and has all the functionalities you would need. I especially like the testnet support, and of course, the open-source aspect. Improvements need to be made to the UI and UX, but I believe those are only a matter of time.
Be a part of improving Cashu!
To keep this short, I will refrain from making extensive remarks and instead pass the ball over to you, the reader. My suggestion is that you try the wallet yourself, and see what you think needs to improve. The benefit of doing this is that you have the chance to make your opinion heard regarding how you would want a cryptocurrency wallet to be, and be a part of creating a better alternative to the current applications available.
To read more about the wallet, you can go to their website: https://cashu.cc/
The wallet is currently only available for Android, and iOS support is coming soon. To download it for your Android phone, you can click here.
If you do test the wallet out, leave your feedback in the comment section below. You can alternatively request to be placed in a private ‘BETA Testers’ group chat, to suggest improvements directly to the lead developer, and engage in discussion regarding the wallet.
Disclaimer: I am not associated with Cashu in any way. This article comes out of a genuine personal interest to see and help the project grow.
