Every time I look for a new mobile Bitcoin wallet to review, I would swear new ones pop up on a daily basis. That just goes to show you how many developers are working on bringing Bitcoin to everyday consumers. BitX is one of the companies, as they want to make this “magic internet money” easy and convenient to use for everyone.
BitX Mobile Bitcoin Wallet
When you open up the BitX Bitcoin Wallet for the very first time, you are immediately prompted to register an account. All you have to do is enter your email address and a password – at least eight characters long with one uppercase letter and a number – and you are all set to go. You will receive a confirmation email shortly after, which contains a link to activate your BitX account.
Honestly, I dislike services prompting you to register before you can even try their platform, especially when it comes to Bitcoin wallets and transactions. I’d rather not use any of my personal information to make use of this technology. A lot of companies want your details in order to lock you into their ecosystem, and BitX is no different in that regard.
Either way, once your email address has been confirmed – do not try to do it through the BitX app itself as it will return you to the sign up form – you will need to create a 4-digit pin code to protect your Bitcoin wallet data. Completing this step will [finally] give you the main BitX Bitcoin Wallet home screen. And, it has to be said, I like the simplicity of the home screen, as it reveals your Bitcoin balance in a nice circular shape.
One of the things you will notice right away, is the red-and-white circle logo in the top right corner of your mobile Bitcoin wallet app. Clicking this button will bring you to an Identity Verification screen, where you can [and should] enter a mobile phone number. This phone number will be used to protect your account from any harm, and it will also enable users to set up two-factor authentication.
Note from the Author: I tried to enter my mobile number and was greeted with an error message. Not a good start to this review, but I will try again later and update this article accordingly.
I have to say, though, that BitX makes it very easy to accept Bitcoin payments on your mobile device. There are three options in order to do this; generating a QR code, displaying a Bitcoin wallet address or send your payment details via email to the recipient. It is worth noting that other BitX can also send you funds by sending it to the email address used during the BitX signup process.
On the topic of customization, BitX’s mobile Bitcoin Wallet lets you create an alias for your Bitcoin wallet address. While this feature may seem common to some of our readers, past articles in this series have shown us this feature is not always present. Plus, the application menu will also show you the Verification Level of your account. 0In my case, this is 0 since I can’t even complete the first step by verifying my phone number.
On their website, BitX mentions how their mobile wallet has a built-in exchange platform, allowing users to buy quickly and sell BTC from their device. Do keep in mind this feature is only available in a select few countries, and it does not appear to work for me. According to the FAQ, the only supported country is South Africa, yet it also lists Indonesia, Kenya and Malaysia as potential future markets.
All in all, the BitX mobile Bitcoin Wallet seems to do the job, assuming you can get the verification process completed without any hiccups. However, some features are not available for everyone, which makes it a bit of a “localized” Bitcoin wallet for South Africans. But give it a try and see for yourself whether you like it or not!
Google Play Store / Apple App Store
Images courtesy of BitX
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