Tag Archives: App Store

Bitcoin Transfers Back into the Gliph iOS Application

Gliph, Bitcoin and Apple in a Love triangleThe Gliph core team is very pleased to announce that Bitcoin transfers have returned to the Gliph iOS mobile application. In today’s release, we have not only returned Bitcoin transfers between Gliph users, we’ve added the ability to scan QR codes and pay using Bitcoin.

Apple, Bitcoin and Gliph

The call from Apple Worldwide Developer Relations came just before Thanksgiving last year. Without much elaboration as to why, Apple told us the Gliph iOS app would need to remove the ability to send Bitcoin or risk being pulled from the App Store.

That event kicked off months of publicity in reaction to our blog post on the state of Bitcoin in the App Store and Google Play. The press feasted on the controversy of Apple’s behavior and Gliph became something of a poster-child for Bitcoin’s fight for mainstream acceptance.

If you wiped away the media hype, and focused on the appeal letter we made public, you would find the real reason why Apple should not have made that choice in the first place:

“By inhibiting the creation of Bitcoin apps Apple holds innovation back from the world. We are witnessing the dawn of a massive technological innovation. The potential impact of virtual currencies stretches further than any company or platform.”

Continue reading →

Introducing Gliph for iOS 1.90

Screenshot of the new Activity View for Gliph for iOS version 1.90We’ve just released a fantastic update to the Gliph iPhone application which you can download the update from the App Store today!

The update, (version 1.90), is part of a larger release that includes an a new Gliph Android application and the introduction of a brand new Gliph Desktop Web app.

This is also Gliph’s first iOS release using ReactiveCocoa and Gliph’s new and improved backend system. You can read more about that effort here.  OK, on to the updates!

Bitcoin is Back

This is such important news, it has its own blog post. But let’s dig into exactly what the Gliph iOS App can do with Bitcoin. With the new Gliph iOS app you can:

  • Attach a Coinbase or Blockchain Bitcoin wallet to your Gliph account
  • View balance wallet and past transactions performed using Gliph
  • Send Bitcoin to any other Gliph user that also has a Bitcoin wallet attached
  • Send Bitcoin to any QR code Bitcoin wallet address using a new QR code scanner

Support for Secure Group Messaging

Screenshot of a group messaging conversationGliph now supports secure group messaging! That’s right, you can now assemble and manage your own groups on Gliph! In this version of the iOS app, you can participate in groups, though group creation needs to be done on the web.

For more information about secure Group Messaging on Gliph please see this post.

Profile and Group Photos

You can now add a Profile Photo facet as part of your Gliph profile. It has the same privacy options as other Gliph facets, like phone number or your name. You can have it be Public, Private or Private and shared with specific people or groups.

All new users are offered the ability to set a Profile Photo, but you can do this now by visiting the menu and choosing Profile.

Refreshed Activity View

The Activity View has been refreshed with a new message unread indicator and the display of Profile photos. The view should also refresh more quickly to accurately reflect the read status of the messages there.

Coming Soon

There are a few things we left out of 1.90 to get it out the door for you. This includes message delay and timed expiration. We also weren’t able to get the complete Create Group capability into this version, but you can still do that using the mobile web.  We plan to fill in these gaps, and continue to refine this experience over the next few releases.

The State of Bitcoin Mobile Applications in the App Store and Google Play

After seven months of availability, Apple has requested we remove the ability to send Bitcoin from the Gliph app. We have complied in our most recent release, Gliph for iOS 1.85. This blog entry focuses on the state of Bitcoin apps the Apple App Store and Google Play, and what happened to Bitcoin sending in the Gliph app.

What makes a Bitcoin Mobile app?
Most Bitcoin mobile apps include a mix of the following categories:

  • News and Information about Bitcoin ecosystem (e.g. ZeroBlock)
  • Market information (e.g. exchange price tickers, currency conversion, etc)
  • Mobile wallet access (wallet stored on device)
  • Native front-end controls to a cloud-based wallet (e.g. Gliph, Coinbase or Blockchain.info’s apps)

The most interesting mobile apps for Bitcoin are those that allow you to actually use the currency. Practical use of Bitcoin in mobile apps includes:

  • Ability to send and receive Bitcoin with QR codes, written wallet addresses or other means. (BTC transfer)
  • Ability to place buy and sell orders for Bitcoin (BTC trading)

Why is it important for there to be useful Bitcoin Apps
Bitcoin skeptics don’t see the proof-of-work from mining as a good reason for there to be significant value in the currency. Instead, the focus is on whether Bitcoin has value because it is a generally accepted form of payment for goods and services. Continue reading →