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Envoy 1.7 – Buy Bitcoin, Directly

Posted on June 19, 2024 - 8:35 am by

Envoy 1.7 is here, and it’s one of our biggest releases ever. Today marks the start of a new chapter for Envoy, one where you can not only intuitively and powerfully manage and store your Bitcoin, but starting today you can buy Bitcoin directly into self-custody with a few simple taps, more easily redeem Bitcoin vouchers from both Azte.co and BTCPay servers, and discover new peer-to-peer, no-KYC exchanges.

One tap from Envoy’s home screen and you’re ready to start your sat-stacking journey.

Buying Bitcoin directly to self-custody

At the core of this update to Envoy is a brand-new integration with Ramp, allowing Envoy users to seamlessly purchase Bitcoin with debit cards, credit cards, Apple and Google Pay, and more directly to their Envoy accounts. Combining a powerful on-ramp with the native privacy and security features in Envoy makes for an unmatched experience.

  • ❌ No copy-pasting addresses
  • ❌ No address reuse
  • ❌ No need to leave the Envoy app
  • ❌ No data collected by Foundation
  • ✅ Easy, one-click address verification with Passport
  • ✅ Automatic tagging w/ note of purchased coins
  • ✅ Sats sent straight to self-custody

It’s easier than ever to purchase Bitcoin, but if you have questions on how all of this works please dive into our docs here.

Choose an Envoy account, set an amount, and setup a Ramp account.

Partnering with Ramp

We’ve worked hard to find a partner that would limit data collection as much as possible, prevent us from accessing any information about Bitcoin purchases, and allow the entire purchase process to happen directly in Envoy, settling on Ramp. While Ramp is still legally obligated to collect identifying information in order to sell Bitcoin to users, this ensures that we at Foundation not only do not (and cannot) collect any information about our users in the app, we also cannot get that information from Ramp directly even if we wanted to.

As Ramp serves a broad number of countries across the globe, you may see some slight differences in information required or fees depending on what country you select when buying Bitcoin. If you want more detail, please refer to their documentation here.

Additionally, Ramp manages the fee structure for purchases in Envoy, with varying fees based on the method of payment, the amount, etc. As partners with Ramp, Foundation will take a small fee as a part of the overall Ramp fee. For more information on Ramp’s fee structure, you can find details on their help portal here.

Confirm email, choose payment method, and you’re stacking sats.

Redeeming vouchers

We’ve also spent time in Envoy 1.7 improving and expanding our Bitcoin voucher support, adding the first of it’s kind BTCPay voucher support — before voucher support is even live in BTCPay 👀. We’re extremely excited to see vouchers added to BTCPay, a fantastic open-source Bitcoin-centric point-of-sale system, and have our own plans of how to leverage BTCPay vouchers immediately when they’re released.

We also have best-in-class support for redeeming on-chain Azte.co vouchers, making Envoy the perfect place to redeem those vouchers straight into self-custody (or even cold storage via Passport). One QR code scan and… done!

Azte.co vouchers made easy.

Discovering peer-to-peer exchanges and Bitcoin ATMs

Last but not least, we’ve added a simple way to discover new peer-to-peer exchanges and Bitcoin ATMs. These present powerful ways to buy and sell Bitcoin without having to give over personally identifiable information. These are powerful tools, and ones that we know many in our community are passionate about. As a first step we’ve added in simple links out to some of our favorite peer-to-peer exchanges along with an easy-to-use map to find Bitcoin ATMs near you.

We have longer term plans to build in native peer-to-peer exchange integrations into Envoy, but those are a bit trickier technically (and legally) so keep an eye out for news on that down the line 🫡

Bitcoin ATMs near you at a glance.

Conclusion

We can’t wait to hear how you all find the new Buy Bitcoin feature in Envoy 1.7, and we’re glad to be able to make it easier than ever to purchase Bitcoin without ever giving up custody of your funds. We view self-custody as a non-negotiable in Bitcoin, and will continue building out tools and products that make self-custody easier, more approachable, and more powerful than ever before.

Want to read the full release notes? You can find them below on our blog: Envoy version 1.7.0 is now live! | Foundation

Now we’ll get back to work and leave the Bitcoin buying to you 😉

Envoy 1.4 – Say Hello to Coin Control

Posted on December 4, 2023 - 7:30 am by

With the release of Envoy version 1.4 today, we’ve taken the next big leap forwards in our goal with Envoy — to bring the best of Bitcoin to you, simplified. Since the release of Envoy’s full mobile wallet functionality with Magic Backup, we’ve been working tirelessly to bring you the next phase focused on giving you full control over your Bitcoin. Say hello to the most intuitive and approachable coin control to date.

Coin Control Made Easy

Taking control of your money has been a part of our mission from day one, and the ability to control exactly how you spend your bitcoin through Envoy is a key part of that. In this release of Envoy we’ve spent countless hours taking the concept of coin control that has existed in other Bitcoin wallets back to the drawing board, as coin control should be within reach of everyone, not just “techy” Bitcoiners. We think coin control should be something even grandma can use.

The concept of coin control can often be a foreign one to new Bitcoiners, but quite simply it’s a tool that allows you to choose what coins get spent in each transaction. The standard functionality of a wallet is to use a coin-selection algorithm to intelligently select the best coins to spend when you send bitcoin, but without some form of coin control there is no way for the algorithm to know what history each coin carries with it. When you combine coins with different histories, you reveal information about your financial activity you may not be intending to share!

When you use coin control, you can tag coins and add notes to transactions as you use Envoy, allowing you to spend only the coins which you want to each time you spend your bitcoin. Don’t want to reveal how much you get paid to your grocer? Only pay him using coins from your previous visits to the grocery store. Tired of your barista seeing how much you paid for dinner last night? Only pay him using coins you just got peer-to-peer. Coin control gives you total control over what information you choose to reveal each time you use Bitcoin — the very definition of privacy.

Using coin control on Envoy is just a tap away behind the new “Tags” icon inside of each account, where you can easily select to spend from an entire tag or get into the weeds and select individual coins to spend. You can keep things as simple as you want or get as granular as you want — you’re in control now. And if the concept of coin control seems like too much for you today, you can simply never touch it and still benefit from a smart coin-selection algorithm in the background that does its best to reduce fees while preserving your privacy.

All of this functionality gets added on top of the 60 second onboarding that Envoy brings via Magic Backups, the seamless integration with Passport, and the fully customizable privacy settings across the board. It’s time you experienced Bitcoin, simplified by downloading Envoy today.

If you want to deep dive into how you can use coin control we’ve got you covered with our new docs on the topic: Tags, Notes + Coin Control | Foundation Docs

Redesigned Learn Center

We have a deep passion for user education and empowerment, and want to make the output of that passion more accessible through Envoy. When you have questions about how Envoy or Passport works, want to learn more about Bitcoin, or simply want to pass the time with the sound of BitcoinQnA’s voice in the background, we’ve got you covered. We’ve started from scratch and improved every aspect of the Learn center, starting with a drastically improved video player and a new video host. Videos are faster to load, easier to control, and are now automatically marked as watched afterwards.

We’ve also added full support for reading our blog posts directly in Envoy without ever leaving the app or opening your browser. Blog posts also get marked as read immediately after viewing them, making it simple to keep up with the latest in Foundation announcements and education. In addition, we’ve revamped our FAQ section at the bottom and updated it with all of the recent changes in Envoy and Passport.

Privacy Shield Joins the Toolbar

We’ve always held preserving user privacy as one of our chief values at Foundation, and that starts with the options available to our Passport and Envoy users. With this version of Envoy, we’re taking things a step further and improving the visibility and usability of all of those privacy settings in Envoy with a new standalone section we’re calling the “Privacy Shield.” Quickly connect to your own Bitcoin full node, switch back to Foundation’s, use Tor for improved privacy, or turn Tor off for better performance when necessary.

Everything you need to know about preserving your privacy while using Envoy can be found in our documentation: Privacy | Foundation Docs

Activity Center, Reborn

In addition to launching coin control and revamping our privacy settings, we’ve taken the time to overhaul the activity center in Envoy and give it a new home in the toolbar. Everything you need to keep up with your Bitcoin activity, Passport firmware updates, and more can be found in the Activity Center now. We plan on expanding this in the near future to encompass more things as well, so keep an eye out for future Envoy updates!

Want to learn more? Dive into our docs here: Activity | Foundation Docs

So Much More

If this has piqued your interest, head on over to our full release notes to learn more about what we’ve added, improved, or fixed with this release of Envoy:

https://foundationdevices.com/2023/12/envoy-version-1-4-0-is-now-live/

We can’t wait to hear your feedback on this latest iteration of Envoy, and if you have any questions or run into any issues, please don’t hesitate to reach out:

https://foundationdevices.com/2021/12/support-where-and-when-you-need-it/

Announcing Envoy Wallet: Bitcoin Simplified

Posted on May 17, 2023 - 10:55 am by

We’re thrilled to announce a groundbreaking release of Envoy, our mobile companion app for Passport. This new update transforms Envoy into a standalone Bitcoin mobile wallet with powerful account management and privacy features.

Envoy makes financial sovereignty more accessible than ever before and radically lowers the barriers to Bitcoin self custody.

Notably, Envoy Magic Backups take the pain and worry out of setting up and backing up a mobile wallet, allowing you to get up and running in 60 seconds and restore your wallet anytime, on any device, in just three taps. It’s time you experienced Bitcoin, simplified.

Read below to learn more, or dive right in and download Envoy now!

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

With mobile wallet support in Envoy, the combination of Envoy + Passport empowers you to store your wealth in an ultra secure, intuitive hardware wallet while also spending Bitcoin on the go in just a few taps. Move funds back and forth between Envoy and Passport, make airgapped transactions, and access your spending and saving balances from anywhere – all in a single app!

Not a Passport owner? This update introduces full Bitcoin wallet functionality on your iOS or Android phone. Use Envoy to store and spend your Bitcoin with strong security, privacy via Tor, and a streamlined setup experience.

We are excited to bring our best-in-class design, intuitive and approachable user experience, and peace of mind to smartphone users across the globe – no Passport required.

WHAT IS A “MOBILE WALLET?”

In Bitcoin, the term “mobile wallet” refers to any wallet that keeps your keys on an internet-connected smartphone for easier spending and receiving of funds. While you should not keep your life savings in a mobile wallet, it provides easier access to a small amount of Bitcoin for spending, withdrawing from an exchange, and onboarding new users.

Envoy has traditionally been a “watch-only wallet” that connects to Passport, allowing you to view your balance and create transactions, but providing limited functionality when you are away from your hardware wallet. Now you can enjoy Envoy as a full-featured Bitcoin wallet on the go.

EXPERIENCE MAGIC BACKUPS

Envoy introduces a new seed-less onboarding experience called Magic Backups. While Envoy users can of course manually handle seed words if desired, we aimed to engineer a solution that enables 60-second onboarding and automatic encrypted backups of Envoy’s private key and application data (such as settings and labels), with a full restore taking just three taps.

Additionally, we wanted to ensure that Envoy does this without collecting any user data – no email address, no passwords, no IP address (when Tor is enabled) – no friction!

We expect Envoy Magic Backups will lead to a massive increase in self custody, with easier onboarding than you’d find at any Bitcoin exchange or custodian.

HERE’S HOW ENVOY MAGIC BACKUPS WORK

  1. Envoy generates a seed and stores it on your phone’s secure element.
  2. Since most users have iCloud Keychain or Android Auto Backup enabled, the seed is automatically synced to your other iOS or Android devices – fully end-to-end encrypted, without needing to give Envoy permission to access your iCloud or Google account. This encryption means that only you can access this data, not even Apple or Google.
    • Learn more about iCloud Keychain.
      • “iCloud protects your information with end-to-end encryption, which provides the highest level of data security. Your data is protected with a key that’s made from information unique to your device, and combined with your device passcode, which only you know. No one else can access or read this data, either in transit or storage.”
    • Learn more about Android Auto Backup.
      • “Android preserves app data by uploading it to the user’s Google Drive—where it’s protected by the user’s Google account credentials. The backup is end-to-end encrypted on devices running Android 9 or higher using the device’s pin, pattern, or password.”
  3. Envoy then creates a backup file containing your app settings, account labels, and other non-sensitive app data, so that Envoy can be restored to its exact previous state. This folder is end-to-end encrypted with your seed so that Foundation can never see the contents. We call this the Envoy Backup.
  4. The fully encrypted Envoy Backup is uploaded to Foundation’s servers, alongside a hash of the seed (a cryptographic representation of the seed that proves your knowledge of the seed, not the seed itself!) so that we can ensure no one else can attempt to download your backup without proving knowledge of your seed phrase.
  5. There is no Foundation user account, no email, no password – all you need is access to your iCloud or Google account.

RESTORING FROM MAGIC BACKUPS

If you lose your phone or delete the Envoy app, restoring your wallet takes only a few seconds with Magic Backups.

  1. Envoy checks the secure element on your phone and looks for the seed.
    • If it discovers a seed on the secure element, Envoy hashes the seed and sends the hash to our server.
      • This merely proves your knowledge of the seed and does not reveal your seed to Foundation in any way!
    • If it does not discover a seed, it accesses the encrypted backup from iCloud Keychain or Android Auto Backup and restores the seed to the secure element. Then Envoy hashes the seed and sends the hash to our server.
  2. Envoy then downloads the encrypted Envoy Backup from our servers.
  3. Envoy uses the seed to decrypt the Envoy Backup file locally (on your phone!) and restores all user settings, account labels, and other app data – so it’s like you never left.

OTHER NOTABLE CHANGES

We’ve also added the following features and improvements in this release:

  • Biometric/PIN authentication. Now you can protect your mobile wallet or Passport balances from prying eyes
  • Ability to swipe on accounts to hide balances while you’re on the go. For example, you can display your mobile wallet balance but hide your hardware wallet balance.

TRY ENVOY TODAY

We’ve released this new version of Envoy to all major platforms, so you can choose the method that suits you best below:

  1. If you’re on iOS, you can install Envoy from the App Store using the following link:
  2. For those on Android, you can either find Envoy in the Play Store, install via F-Droid, or download the app directly from Github (Envoy is fully open source!):
    • Play Store
    • F-Droid
    • GitHub
      • Download the APK titled “envoy-apk-1.1.3.apk” directly from the above link and install
      • As this APK is signed with our own keys instead of Google’s keys via the Play Store, if you’re using the Play Store version you’ll have to uninstall Envoy first before installing the public beta

HOW CAN I GIVE FEEDBACK OR GET SUPPORT?

As you use Envoy as a mobile wallet, we’d love to hear from you – every issue, bug, or favorite feature! There are three main places you can go to give us feedback or get help with Envoy:

  1. We have a standalone Telegram channel for our community that you can join and give feedback or get support
  2. You can email us
  3. You can direct message us on Twitter

WHAT’S NEXT

The release of Envoy as a mobile wallet paves the way for a range of roadmap items we’ve been planning for some time, and we can’t wait to build on this strong foundation of simplified Bitcoin usage. Next you’ll be able to jump in the ???? with thousands of other Bitcoiners, become a ????, or ⚡ your way to a cup of coffee — all within Envoy!

We’re excited to release the next piece of your financial sovereignty toolkit to the masses and onboard a wave of Bitcoiners to self-custody, privacy, and financial sovereignty sat by sat.

Now back to building.