Breez launches Glow app as open-source blueprint for Lightning and Bitcoin features

Glow adds passkey-based self-custody, native Lightning payments and Bitcoin-backed stablecoin transfers, while giving developers an open-source SDK reference app they can inspect, fork and adapt.

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Summary

Bitcoin software provider Breez has launched Glow, a consumer app and open-source reference project built with Bitcoin Spark that is designed to simplify Bitcoin and Lightning payments while giving developers a working model for integrating those features through Breez's SDK. The app is available on Apple and Android app stores and uses passkeys instead of the seed-phrase backup flow common in many wallets, while still promising self-custody and cryptographic control over funds in an auditable codebase. Glow supports native Lightning payments, customizable Lightning addresses and contacts integration aimed at making Bitcoin payments feel more like mainstream messaging and payments apps. Through partnerships including Flashnet, the app can also send USDT and USDC across multiple networks by drawing value from a user's Bitcoin balance, and it lets users swap BTC into a dollar-denominated balance to reduce exposure to bitcoin volatility. Breez said Glow is MIT-licensed, free and open source as a progressive web app, allowing developers to inspect the code, reuse features and build on the Breez API and SDK without having to handle the more complex parts of building on Bitcoin. The launch expands on Breez's broader push to help developers add non-custodial Bitcoin functionality without taking custody of user funds, following its earlier Turnkey partnership.

Terms & Concepts
  • Lightning Network: A Bitcoin payments layer designed to enable faster and cheaper transactions.
  • passkeys: A login method that replaces passwords or seed-phrase-style recovery flows with device-based cryptographic authentication.
  • self-custody: A setup in which users retain control of their own funds rather than relying on a third party to hold them.