Cowrie Research

wallet-of-satoshi-primary-sources-2026-05-01

4 min read

Wallet of Satoshi primary-source snapshot

Fetched: 2026-05-01 UTC

1) Official homepage

Source: https://www.walletofsatoshi.com/

Selected excerpts from the official site:

Wallet of Satoshi (WoS) is a Bitcoin and Lightning wallet for iOS and Android focused on simplicity and great UX.

With Wallet of Satoshi you can pay a Lightning invoice or send directly to an on-chain Bitcoin address.

Custodial: sign in with your email to recover your balance and payment history on a new device.

Self-custodial: you hold the keys.

The app will present the correct mode for your region.

Additional signals from the source:

  • The homepage itself already reveals the most important shift: Wallet of Satoshi now openly exposes both custodial and self-custodial modes instead of presenting as a purely custodial Lightning wallet
  • The same page links Lightning Address behavior, in-app bitcoin buying, and region-sensitive mode selection into one product surface

2) Disclosure document

Source: https://www.walletofsatoshi.com/disclosure

Selected excerpts from the disclosure:

Wallet of Satoshi provides two distinct custody models to accommodate varying user preferences and regional requirements:

Self-custody (available globally)

Custodial (available in select regions)

Spark: The third-party Layer 2 solution developed by LightSpark that underpins the self-custody functionality.

self-custody remains accessible worldwide, contingent upon network stability and third-party service conditions.

Additional signals from the source:

  • This is the strongest architectural source because it formalizes the dual custody model and explicitly names Spark as the substrate for self-custody
  • The document also shows that Wallet of Satoshi treats self-custody and custodial experiences as separate operational models with different refund, limit, and recovery implications

3) Spark self-custody announcement

Source: https://support.walletofsatoshi.com/support/discussions/topics/36000036486

Selected excerpts from the post:

Wallet of Satoshi now supports self-custody, powered by Spark.

We’ve worked closely with Spark from the early days, helping shape their SDK

We wanted to give advanced users that option, without losing the simplicity Wallet of Satoshi is known for.

We’re especially excited about what this unlocks — including a path to serve U.S. users again, now with a fully self-custodial experience.

Additional signals from the source:

  • This announcement explains why the product changed: self-custody is being added as a strategic extension, not just as a cosmetic feature
  • The post also suggests Wallet of Satoshi has played a feedback role around Spark’s SDK, which is relevant when understanding how tightly the new mode is integrated into the app

4) Support articles for custodial recovery and fees

Sources:

Selected excerpts from the articles:

Enter your email address and press OK.

Check your email for the randomly generated login words.

your account history and wallet balance will be automatically restored after the 24 hour period.

Wallet of Satoshi charges no fees for transactions sent or received via the Lightning network.

Most transactions sent from WoS users have zero fees since we run very well-connected nodes.

Additional signals from the source:

  • These articles are useful because they preserve the older custodial operating model in first-party documentation even as self-custody is added
  • The recovery docs show how much of the custodial UX is built around email-based account recovery rather than seed-based restoration, which sharply distinguishes it from the new self-custodial path

5) POS app and availability materials

Sources:

Selected excerpts from the materials:

Receive Bitcoin via the Lightning Network at your shop or market stall with our Point of Sale Partner App.

No Login Required - Receive only

Lightning Network / LNURL Enabled

Supports NFC Bolt Cards

Android Availability - 176 Countries

Additional signals from the source:

  • The POS page broadens the project from a personal wallet into merchant acceptance infrastructure
  • The availability article is imperfectly formatted but still useful as a first-party signal that Wallet of Satoshi has unusually broad global app distribution even while custody mode availability varies by region

Notes

  • Wallet of Satoshi appears best cataloged as bitcoin and Lightning wallet / hybrid custody-mode wallet infrastructure / merchant POS and Lightning-address payments stack.
  • No canonical standalone whitepaper or litepaper surfaced in this pass.
  • The most useful primary sources were the homepage, disclosure document, Spark self-custody post, support knowledge base, and the POS page.

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