iPay You, a Seattle, Wash.-based bitcoin wallet created by Gene Kavner, a former director of Amazon Associates and a Microsoft veteran, allows users to send bitcoin to people who don’t already have a bitcoin account, using text or email.

It also makes it possible to buy bitcoin using a U.S. bank account – the web app supports 16 major banks.

How It Works

To make a payment, the user fills in the recipient’s email or bitcoin address on a simple screen on the app. They also write the recipient’s name. Next, they click “continue” and confirm the transaction. It takes three to four business days for bitcoin to be deposited into an iPay You wallet.

It is possible to set the app on automatic withdraw so that funds sent to the app automatically deposit the funds in a bank account. It takes two to three business days for the funds to deposit in a bank account. The wallet shows the expected transaction completion date.

To transfer bitcoin into an iPay You wallet, the user clicks the “add funds” button, then clicks “receive bitcoin,” then scans a QR code or enters the bitcoin address, then enters the amount they wish to receive.

Special Features

A transaction can be canceled if it has not been confirmed and the recipient has not logged into the system. The user has to click on the “cancel transaction” button in the transaction history.

iPay You charges customers a “small” fee for transactions, according to its website.

A future feature will enable users to lock in the price of a transaction.

The service is for U.S. customers only. Users must have a Social Security number.

Also read: Multi-currency wallet BIT.AC allows instant cryptocurrency exchanges

App Makes Bitcoin Easy

Kavner compared bitcoin to the Internet in its early stages. People would go to a website and not know what to do, according to Geekwire. Bitcoin and the blockchain are now at a similar stage.

With iPay You, users can see how much bitcoin they have in dollars, saving them the need to convert from one currency to the other. Senders don’t have to copy an address that is 35 characters long.

Recipients Don’t Need Wallets

The most important feature is to be able to send bitcoin to people who don’t have any bitcoin. There is no need for the recipient to have a bitcoin wallet or to create a bitcoin address.

Kavner claimed bitcoin is now more reliable than it once was.

iPay You is considering adding a gift card option that will allow users to spend bitcoin at stores that don’t directly accept it.

iPay You currently exists as a web app, but the team is working on an Android and iOS app as well.

Featured image from Shutterstock.