- Cash App users will be able to send
bitcoin anywhere for free via the Lightning Network, the payment platform said. - The Lightning Network speeds up transactions across the bitcoin network, due to how it handles blocks.
People using Cash App can now use the Lightning Network to transfer bitcoin, the Block-owned
This integration will enable customers to make bitcoin transfers faster than before, and at no cost, it said in a $4 late Monday.
"Lightning Network is now available on Cash App. It's the fastest, free way to pay anyone in bitcoin," it tweeted.
To use the feature, Cash App customers need to scan a Lightning QR code using the camera on their phone, then confirm the payment details and hit "Pay." That will send bitcoin to a Lightning or on-chain address.
Most US customers can use the new feature, except for those in New York, the app provider said. It didn't respond to tweets asking when Cash App users in other countries would get it.
"At this time, New York residents aren't eligible for Lightning," Cash App said on Twitter
The Lightning Network is a layer 2 for
Bitcoin aggregates transactions into blocks every 10 minutes, and after six blocks, or about one hour, payments are considered secure. The Lightning Network doesn't need the confirmation of these six blocks, which makes it faster.
"On the Lightning Network, payments don't need block confirmations, and are instant and atomic," the MIT group said in a paper online.
The Lightning Network, which has been operating since 2018, has been touted as a bridge to $4 once people recognize the advantages of instant and free transactions on bitcoin.
$4 is MicroStrategy boss Michael Saylor, who covered Lightning in his company's $4.
But other leading lights in technology have come out as skeptics, including Moxie Marlinspike, creator of encrypted messaging app Signal. He has $4 much of