Breez Wallet Introduces Offline Lightning Network Payments
Breez, a wallet that focuses on the Lightning Network (LN), has developed a solution for offline payments within the protocol. Typically, both parties involved in an LN transaction must be online, which can be inconvenient for certain use cases. Breez, however, has utilized its software stack to create a system that allows payments to be made even when the receiving party is offline. The organization showcased this solution in a post on X, where an upcoming non-custodial wallet by Breez successfully received an LN payment while being offline through the use of notifications.
In a previous article, Breez co-founder and CEO Roy Sheinfeld discussed alternative solutions to the offline payments issue in LN and explained the approach that Breez is utilizing. The latest SDK implemented push notifications, enabling service providers to send messages to the app to receive payments automatically without requiring user intervention.
Challenges and Limitations of the Solution
Sheinfeld acknowledges that further development is needed to set up notification delivery services for these messages. However, despite the reliance on third-party notification services like Apple or Google, this implementation significantly improves the user experience as the app does not need to be active in the background to receive payments.
Nevertheless, Sheinfeld also recognizes the limitations of this solution. It is only applicable to mobile devices and will not work if the device is turned off or if the user has disabled the necessary notifications. He emphasizes the need for protocol-level alternatives to overcome these limitations.
Hot Take: Revolutionizing Offline LN Payments
Breez Wallet’s solution for offline Lightning Network payments is a significant step towards streamlining LN transactions. By leveraging push notifications and their own SDK, Breez enables users to receive payments even when their app is inactive or their device is offline. While there are challenges and limitations to this solution, such as the dependency on third-party notification services, it still marks a major improvement in user experience. As the Lightning Network continues to evolve, it will be essential to explore further protocol-level alternatives to address the remaining limitations and provide seamless offline payment solutions for a wider range of devices.
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