u.today
According to Jane Manchun Wong, a Hong Kong-based technology researcher famous for discovering hidden features in popular apps, social media giant Twitter appears to be testing Bitcoin tipping on Android devices.
Wong shared a screenshot that supposedly shows the beta version of the feature.
Twitter is working on bringing Bitcoin Lightning Tip Jar support to Android pic.twitter.com/5R10LltHKc
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) October 24, 2021
Twitter allowed users to tip creators after launching its “tip jar” service in May. Initially, it was only possible to send money with the help of centralized payment providers, such as Venmo, PayPal and, of course, Square’s Cash App.
Lightning Network-powered Bitcoin payments were then added to the Twitter beta in late August.
As reported by U.Today, Twitter officially announced Bitcoin support for iOS devices on Sept. 23, gradually rolling out the new service for all devices.
The company said that the Bitcoin tipping feature would come to Android users “soon,” without specifying the exact timeline.
The tech behind the new service is provided by crypto payments processor Strike.
Given that smartphones running the Android operating system boast a market share of 72%, the addition of Bitcoin tips is likely to boost the cryptocurrency’s wider adoption.
The NFT feature
In addition, Twitter is working on adding support for non-fungible token (NFT) authentication, according to its announcement published in late September.
The feature will make it possible for users to show off their NFTs on the social media platform.
A screenshot posted by Wong shows that the social media giant is now trialing a dedicated tab for collectibles.
Twitter is working on Collectibles profile tab, NFT view and NFT details view pic.twitter.com/BrqPyvaLOp
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) October 24, 2021
On top of that, its mobile app will make it possible to view NFTs and read details about them.