Today we’re releasing version 1.5 of Gliph for iOS, which makes it easier than ever to get started and offers the world’s first instant Bitcoin wallet creation via Coinbase. Update: Gliph now also supports BIPS wallet.

In this new release we’ve made Gliph account creation and Bitcoin wallet creation an amazingly near-instantaneous experience.

Changes to Signup

We now streamline the Gliph signup process. The app automatically selects a gliph (username) for you, yet allows you to customize your gliph as an option if you want.

Previously, we forced every new person to immediately choose the Artifacts (symbols) for their gliph. While some folks picked up on the idea of building a gliph out of Artifacts, some found it confusing. Gliph has a lot of new ideas in it. This change represents a step toward streamlining the process of getting started using the Gliph identity platform.

Instant Bitcoin Wallet Creation

Another big change in 1.5 is the “instant” creation of Coinbase accounts. If you’ve never used Bitcoin before, you will be prepared to receive Bitcoin immediately after accepting Coinbase’s Terms of Service.

Gliph magically creates a Coinbase account using a free Gliph Cloaked Email address, offering you a strong level of privacy in your Bitcoin transactions.

We believe signing up for Gliph on iOS is now the fastest and easiest way to get started with a Bitcoin wallet on the planet earth.

We continue to believe that Bitcoin is a very important part of Gliph’s future and are making changes to pave the way for this now. The team is excited about the further integration of Bitcoin into Gliph’s core experience.

Speed Enhancements

This isn’t exactly a part of the iOS release, however Gliph should be speedier for people across the globe. We’ve re-architected the infrastructure Gliph runs on, and now have servers in San Francisco, Ireland and Tokyo. No matter where you live, Gliph should be three to four times faster than it used to be.

Moving the Gliph Store and the New Profile View

You will also notice a new menu item directly below Activity called Profile. It features a steampunk-tastic icon. The Profile View is a new place where you can store and set the basic privacy settings of your facet information (personal data).

Previously, Gliph let you manage your personal data from the Settings view. There was an option called “Edit your Facets and Sharing.” This method of editing your personal information wasn’t obvious for a lot of people, both because they didn’t know what “facets” were and also because the option was buried in a Settings View.

Another change we made to the menu is the removal the Gliph Store. You can still reach the Cloaked Email upgrade options via the “Get More Cloaks” menu option.

Privacy Considerations

Some of our more privacy-oriented folks may react to the appearance of a Profile with concern. We want to allay these concerns: nothing has changed with regard to what information is required to use Gliph. We still encrypt your data and keep it private as per our Privacy Policy.

You can still use Gliph without entering a name or phone number. You can still choose not to share information you’ve stored on Gliph with anyone. This new view does not change any aspect of how your personal data is shared with other people.

Storing personal data has always been an important part of Gliph. We want people to be able to share exactly what they want, when they want, with who they want. We always lean toward privacy.

Conclusion

We’re excited about the changes we’re introducing to Gliph as we continue to bend it toward a more perfect digital identity. We continue to iterate, including some recent updates to the Gliph Android app. Thanks to all the folks who have supported Gliph up through today.

Many thanks to @iamthelawton, @signalspy and @nsasch on this release!