The trial version of the mobile wallet app focused on Lightning Network (LN), Shango, was recently released in versions for iOS and Android. This application gives access to a complete node of the Lightning network based on the cloud to provide greater security and stability.
In the forum generated in Reddit about this announcement, it is clarified that the Shango app connects to an LDN node based on the cloud, but it is possible to choose to connect to a personal node in the PC or in a server chosen by the user. To test the LN wallet it is necessary to request an invitation from the developers.
Lightning Network is a decentralized system for instant and high volume micropayments that eliminates the risk of delegating custody of funds to trusted third parties. In the next tweet, the wallets already launched for the Lightning network and other proposals for a next launch are listed.
Neogeno, the developer of the app Shango, explains on GitHub that after Shango is installed - once the respective invitation has been obtained - it checks if the node is already available, because the first time the app is connected to the service, it is assigned a complete Lightning node that is already pre-synchronized with Bitcoin's test network or testnet .
After the detailed instructions are given to obtain coins that allow work on the testnet . If the option 'Automatic Pilot' is taken, 30% of the available funds are enabled to open channels. Neogeno recommends opening channels together with friends and stipulating payments in both directions. To facilitate training with the use of the new wallet, they recommend making purchases at demo stores such as https://starblocks.acinq.co/#/ or https://yalls.org/ .
Among the list of frequently asked questions, Neogeno addresses the skepticism of many before cloud services. Is it safe to trust a third party? Shango hosts its services in Amazon Web Services (AWS) and has enough security and privacy certifications. This, says Neogeno, contrasts with "a false sense of security" when you have a PC or a server at home, which can suffer data failures or power failures. It is more likely that, unless you are a security expert, your data is more secure in a server of a company dedicated to security, according to Neogeno. However, more advanced users have the option to connect remotely to a node hosted on a PC or server itself.
In any case, once the node is closed, all the data is completely eliminated, so there is no possibility of the users 'personal information being tracked, privacy being another of the users' frequent concerns when they know that the Portfolio nodes are hosted on AWS.
Moreover, all your information remains stored on your device, to Shango facilitate the export of the node as a portable port that you can host on your computer. Thus, even in the event that Shango closed or had a technical problem that made its operations impossible, the LN node would not be affected.
Neogen argues that the LDN folders are encrypted with keys that the user owns (version 0.42 of LDN) and the data is backed up on a user's device. The recommendation for the mobile Lightning wallet, says Neogeno, is to keep the necessary funds for daily expenses - such as coffee purchases - and to exchange higher volume funds with a main cold storage wallet to keep money off the Internet for the most part weather.
Neogeno states that the official launch of this tool is stipulated for the summer of 2018. Until then, users can become familiar with it through network transactions of tests.