Twitter makes ‘sats’ the Bitcoin standard with new Lightning tipping feature
Twitter users will now be able to send and receive Bitcoin tips, as long as they own an iPhone and a Strike Lightning Wallet.
The blue bird announced the rollout of Bitcoin tipping via a blog on Thursday. Twitter is now the first social media platform to let users to tip their favorite creators with cryptocurrency.
But Twitter isn’t the first of the big-name socials to dabble in Bitcoin, albeit via the effectively centralized Lightning Network.
In 2013, social forum Reddit allowed users to upgrade to a premium membership using Bitcoin.
Reddit scrapped the feature in 2019 after experiencing some bugs in the Coinbase Commerce payment processor.
Twitter’s progression towards crypto tips began in the Spring.
- In May, Twitter allowed all iPhone and Android users to send fiat tips to creators.
- Before now, only a select few users could receive them.
- Soon, all Android and iOS Twitter users can access the feature and garner tips, including in Bitcoin.
The rollout started this week for Apple iPhone users. The social media giant promised to support Android devices sometime in the future.
Presumably, iOS was first because it’s easier to add a feature to iPhones, which share largely homogenous software.
Android’s operating system however is found on a plethora of different devices and in many different versions,, so Twitter’s devs need a little longer.
Twitter won’t take a cut from Bitcoin tip
Indeed, Twitter is pushing for creators to make cash from their content.
Chief exec Jack Dorsey is famously a Bitcoin bull, so it’s unsurprising that his social media platform is the first to integrate BTC tips (notably denominated in sats).
But under the official announcement tweet were a slew of verified accounts complaining that the feature hadn’t appeared for them yet.
The official Twitter account assuaged tip-hungry tweeters that the feature will be available soon.
Twitter promised to not take a cut for Bitcoin tips sent to creators.
[Read more: Jack Dorsey whipped out his Bitcoin clock and Twitter went wild]
Other platforms take a share of fan contributions. For example, YouTube takes 30% in their own tipping system, “super chats”.
Twitter also announced plans to support NFTs and a creator fund for Spaces, its new group chat feature Spaces.
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