It has been a long time coming, but Ethereum users can finally carry their ETH with them wherever they go. A new mobile wallet solution for both Bitcoin and Ethereum has been released, called Jaxx. At the time of publication, only an Android version was made available, although the developers have announced versions for iOS, desktop, and browsers as well.
Developed by the Kryptokit team, Jaxx will serve as the world’s first mobile wallet for Ethereum users around the world, as long as they own an Android mobile device. Tablets are not officially supported just yet, although the development roadmap indicates an updated app will be released on February 19.Other mobile operating systems, including iOS and Blackberry, will be supported in the following weeks. Clients for desktop users will roll out in the next week or so as well.
Similarly to how other mobile wallets work, Jaxx makes use of a mnemonic seed to backup your wallet or transfer it to a different device. When first installing the Jaxx app, Ethereum support might not be visible for users, as they will need to unlock it through an easter egg. Just tapping the refresh button twice and the Jaxx logo a few times will reveal the easter egg and turn Jaxx into a multi-crypto mobile wallet solution.
What makes Jaxx interesting is how everything can be done on one screen, rather than tapping through several menus. Receiving funds can be done by tapping the “Receive” button, entering the amount, and the QR code will be generated automatically. Scanning someone else’s QR code is very straightforward too, as there is a camera icon in between the Receive and Send tabs.
Once additional versions of the Jaxx wallet roll out, users will be able to pair their Ethereum and Bitcoin wallet across a variety of devices.Furthermore, the Jaxx wallet is very user-friendly when it comes to switching between ETH and BTC, and users can denominate their balance in a preferred fiat currency value as well.
On the topic of security, Kryptokit CEO Anthony Di Iorio commented the following:
“We are instituting a global messaging system that will enable passwords to be synced and other messages to be signed across devices using our PGP integration. For now, we didn’t want to institute device-specific passwords. Please keep in mind this is beta so only use small amounts and put a pin on your phone for added protection if you wish.”
Overall, the layout looks immaculate and responsive, with no errors or forced closing to report on our end just yet. It is important to keep in mind this mobile wallet is still in very early beta stages, and users might encounter bugs along the way. Moreover, users are advised not to store large quantities of funds in the Jaxx wallet just yet, although the company is not touching user funds by any means. The Jaxx private key is stored locally on the device and are never communicated to any company server.
Under the hood, some fixes will need to be made in the coming weeks, though. Some users have reported issues when trying to copy the generated wallet addresses, and sending funds does not always allow users to include a decimal, depending on their device. Additionally, the wallet is not open source [yet] as no decision has been made regarding the formal licensing of Jaxx. Battery drain could be an issue as well on certain devices, although this is not the case for all Android users.
Website: http://Jaxx.io
Android Download: Google Play Store
