Bitcoin SV wallet HandCash rolls out version 2.0

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HandCash launched a Bitcoin SV (BSV) wallet app that was designed around a simple concept – make it easy for users to send and receive cryptocurrency. Instead of long addresses that were impossible to remember, users could register with names or their own alphabet schemes and conduct transactions with just these names. The wallet has already proven to be highly popular and extremely fast, and has continued to make improvements. Version 2.0 is now ready to be introduced after some final tweaking.

The wallet developers provided details about the changes through the official HandCash Twitter feed, explaining that the new version had been released without a huge public announcement. It subsequently decided to pull back on new migrations from the old “$handle” system as it sought to improve the customer experience, adding that it had found a bug in the UI that had made it difficult for some users to properly upgrade.

After a few hundred successful migrations without having announced publicly the release of HandCash 2.0, we are stopping new migrations from old $handles in order for us to improve the user experience during the onboarding process.

— HandCash (@handcashapp) September 12, 2019

Any user who has already upgraded won’t be impacted by the temporary migratory halt, but legacy addresses are going to be disabled as the changes are made.

All HandCash users will ultimately need to upgrade to the new version. The process is simple and consists of downloading the respective version depending on whether or not Android or iOS is used, and then following a series of instructions. These include copying a migration code that can found in the beta version and entering it into HandCash 2.0. The code is specific to each user and HandCash warns that it shouldn’t be shared with anyone else.

After the new account is created, users will need to move their funds from the beta version, the original HandCash, to the new one. This can be accomplished via either a migration assistant in the beta app or by sending them from one to the other using the Bitcoin address.

HandCash 2.0 is more than just an upgrade; it’s essentially a rewritten app. As such, current backups in place for the beta version won’t work when users start to use 2.0. There also is no way to effectively migrate saved contacts, so new lists will have to be created. The $handle system on beta will be disabled after the launch of 2.0, resulting in only transactions using legacy addresses or QR codes being allowed.

It’s important to note that HandCash 2.0 won’t keep any list of $handles that had been used in the beta version. Any existing beta $handle that isn’t claimed by someone prior to November 15 will be released and be made available to someone else, so procrastination on upgrading isn’t recommended.