Primal: Social Media with Bitcoin Tipping

Primal is a social media app that lets you tip (zap) other users with bitcoin!
How does Primal work and why should you join?
Primal is a social Bitcoin wallet.
If you like somebody's content, you can tip them Bitcoin micropayments through the Lightning Network.
Or monetize your own content.
You can also use it as a custodial Lightning wallet to pay for small purchases in bitcoin.

Primal Is a Nostr Client

Primal uses the Nostr protocol as its social graph.
Nostr is an open protocol for decentralized and censorship-resistant social media.
If you're new to Nostr, learn more about it here: #558629
Since Primal is only a client to access the Nostr protocol, it can only censor free speech or deplatform users on the Primal app, but not on Nostr.
Also, if you stop using Primal as your Nostr client, you can import all your followers, posts, etc. to a new client.

Primal Feels Like Twitter (X)!

Primal's feed feels very familiar to other social media platforms, especially X (Twitter).
You can follow people, like their posts, repost etc.
It's not only for Bitcoin-related discussion: you can search for different hashtags and find your tribe, e.g. photography etc.
Primal works for iOS, Android and desktop.
On desktop, the "Explore" function is even more detailed.

Earn Bitcoin for Your Content!

By clicking the lightning bolt symbol on the feed, you can tip (zap) other users bitcoin.
You can also browse through your contacts and zap them.
Nostr is a great directory for Lightning payments!
If you hold the bolt symbol a bit longer, you can specify the zap amount if you want.
You can set your default zap amount in settings.
To set up a Lightning wallet with Primal, the app asks for your name, email address and the country of residence.
But as far as I know, you can use a nym and a throwaway email etc.
No need to upload any identity documents.
The maximum balance you can hold on the Primal wallet is 1 million sats, or 0.01 BTC.
The purpose of the wallet is not for long-term savings, but to onboard people to Nostr and to get familiarized with the culture of zapping.
To get your first sats on the Primal wallet, you can receive bitcoin on Lightning or on-chain.
Alternatively, you can buy sats on Primal with Apple Pay or Google Pay with your credit card (max. about $5 worth).
Or just start creating and receive zaps from other users.

Take Care of Your "nsec"!

Your "nsec" is your private key to your Primal (and Nostr account).
Don't share it with anyone!
Primal creates an nsec for you upon account creation, or you can import your own.
Primal is open-source, but it is not always a good practice to import private keys to any apps.
If you don't want to import the private keys you already have to Primal, you can use e.g. Amber, a Nostr signer extension app for Android.
It's advisable to store your nsec in e.g. a password manager.
If you use Primal on desktop, you can use e.g. Alby @Alby, as a Nostr signer extension, zapping wallet and a place to store your nsec.
Learn more about Alby here.
You can also use another Nostr signer extensions on desktop, e.g. Nos2x, but they often have no wallet functions for zapping or receiving zaps.
They work only for posting, liking, replying, reposts etc.

Convenient, but With Privacy Trade-Offs

You can send direct messages to other Primal users, but you should know that while the content of the direct messages is encrypted (visible only to you and your contact), the message metadata is public for all to see (who you're sending messages to, when, how often etc.)
No more head-scratching when trying to split the bill!
Not the most private way to do it though, but it's convenient!
Let's connect on Nostr!
You can find me here.

Additional Resources

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Yeah probably a bunch of other countries too where you can’t activate the wallet feature
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In the previous version, I saw no such error.
And the information isn't verified so what is the point?
The trajectory paired with this posts messaging is disturbing.
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Other Primal users have reported that the KYC form has become more strict only recently.
It wasn’t the case about 2 months ago.
If you’re in North Korea, you can probably connect your Lightning node to Alby and use Primal through that?
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Oops! Are you from NK or its your VPN that is deceiving us?
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lol
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Use Amethyst better privacy features.
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great review for bitcoin twitter plebs wanting to get on nostr.🔥
the primal kyc app is strike on the backend.
If privacy is your thing, nostrapps.com for more clients🤙🏽
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10 sats \ 2 replies \ @flat24 1 Sep
Is there a guide for beginners that explains in detail how to install the APK on the mobile 📲 from Github?
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31 sats \ 1 reply \ @guts 1 Sep
Obtanium
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Interesting, I'll look into it. Thanks for your reply. đź‘Ť
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45 sats \ 2 replies \ @Golu 1 Sep
Good review! If it's similar to X with free speech enabled, I promise I'm gonna delete X forever.
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All Nostr clients definitely seem more user-friendly now than over a year ago
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @guts 2 Sep
Nostr community is small compared to X, still difficult to replace.
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256 sats \ 4 replies \ @k00b 1 Sep
To set up a Lightning wallet with Primal, the app asks for your name, email address and the country of residence.
But as far as I know, you can use a nym and a throwaway email etc.
No need to upload any identity documents.
I highly recommend against providing phony kyc info unless you’re cool with losing those funds without warning or recourse. They take that kyc info for a reason (to report you to the feds if you do suspicious stuff) and if they suspect you are cheating, they (whoever primal is using as their custodian) will lock you out of your funds to protect themselves.
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Good point. Especially if you intend to use the wallet more.
But if you don’t want to give that info only to test the wallet, it seems possible.
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FWIW, I saw an instance recently where someone tried to provide phony info and was essentially put on hold for further verification. I think the KYC process for Primal has become more strict unfortunately.
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31 sats \ 0 replies \ @guts 2 Sep
Last I read from the dev they use Strike.
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Good to know.
I created the wallet about 2 months ago and didn’t give any identifiable information.
“Laundering” 10 sat zaps since then here and there..
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To set up a Lightning wallet with Primal, the app asks for your name, email address and the country of residence.
Is there any mistr client that doesn't ask any of these?
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Most don’t, but most also don’t come with a built-in Lightning wallet.
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21 sats \ 2 replies \ @cascdr 1 Sep
@CHADBot /trumpMode for
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90 sats \ 0 replies \ @CHADBot 1 Sep bot
Folks, @teemupleb's truly onto something BIG here! Do you hear this? Primal. It's brilliant, like nothing you've seen before. It's social media with Bitcoin tipping - talk about the art of the deal! It's modern, it's fast, it's convenient.
Let me tell you, Primal uses this fabulous thing called the Nostr protocol. The beauty of it, you wouldn't believe - it's resisting censorship left and right. Free speech is alive and well! And what about moving to a new client? Easy peasy! And it's a breeze to use, just like Twitter - everyone loves Twitter, right?
You tweet, you zap, you earn Bitcoin. Who wouldn't want to get paid for their words? And let's talk privacy, it's encrypted folks. Feels safer than Fort Knox. And don't even get me started about how handy it is at parties, no more bill splitting headaches!
Primal is the future. Get onboard or get left behind. It's that simple. A fantastic opportunity presented by @teemupleb. #Winning #PrimalMagic #BitcoinRevolution
Made with 🧡 by CASCDR
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42 sats \ 0 replies \ @CHADBot 1 Sep bot
You have summoned CHADBot. Please zap this post 21 sats to receive service.
Made with 🧡 by CASCDR
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I'm unsure if it is just my level of engagement, but I don't ever really see that many zaps on Primal - on here I see them all the time.
Anybody experience the same?
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Yes. Seems like the zapping culture is still stronger on Stacker News.
Also, discoverability is better on SN. If you create a good post and it gets some zaps, your post will be on the home page.
On Nostr you need to have a big following already or somehow tweak the hashtags.. I haven’t really figured that out yet.
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I like primal. Works better than damus.
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Awesome. Bookmarking this to remind myself to get onboard!
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