Best for: Mobile Bitcoiners who want Liquid privacy and the option to spend over Lightning without running channels.
Consider if: You plan to hold USDt on Liquid or need the Dolphin Card for day-to-day expenses.
Not ideal when: You need rock-bottom Lightning fees or rely on desktop wallets.
Gotcha: Aqua cannot import seeds from other wallets, so keep this new phrase safe.
Gotcha: Lightning receives run through Boltz, so expect a short delay and a swap fee when capacity is low.
Gotcha: Boltz and third-party providers charge extra for swaps; wait for low-fee periods if you're cost sensitive.
0.1% of the amount + Liquid network fee
What happens:
Aqua swaps L-BTC through Boltz to settle the Lightning invoice.
Save money:
Batch payments when possible and send during low Liquid fee periods.
Boltz charges 0.1% plus the underlying Liquid mining fee when you send over Lightning.
0.25% + Liquid fee
What happens:
Boltz receives the payment and credits your Liquid or Bitcoin balance.
Save money:
Use Lightning sparingly for small payments and rely on on-chain or Liquid for bigger transfers.
Receiving Lightning through Aqua triggers a Boltz swap that currently costs 0.25% plus the Liquid mining fee.
Aqua relies on Boltz swaps instead of native channels, so the service charges percentage-based fees on top of the Liquid mining cost.
Not yet. The app automatically selects a partner today, but JAN3 plans to let you pick providers in a future release.
Check the quoted fee before confirming and prefer Liquid or on-chain payments when you do not need an instant Lightning settlement.
Via Boltz Swap fee applies
Aqua routes Lightning payments through Boltz, so you can spend instantly without running a channel yourself.
Gotcha: Boltz adds a fee and uses your Liquid balance. Heavy use can be more expensive than native Lightning wallets.
Bitcoin Liquid
Pay exchanges or merchants with either on-chain BTC or the faster Liquid network.
Gotcha: Direct peg-out to mainnet still depends on third-party liquidity, so large withdrawals may take longer.
0.25% swap fee Auto refunds if it fails
Aqua lets you accept Lightning tips and swaps them into Liquid or Bitcoin automatically.
Gotcha: Each Lightning receive costs 0.25% plus the Liquid fee, so small tips can get eaten by the charge.
BTC & L-BTC addresses Direct peg-in
You can receive BTC or L-BTC with confidential amounts when using Liquid.
Gotcha: Liquid senders must also support Liquid. For mainnet BTC, direct peg-in avoids paying two separate transaction fees.
Choose: When you lose or upgrade your device and need the same wallet.
Tips: Keep the old phone offline until the new one finishes syncing to avoid confusion.
Gotcha: You cannot run the same seed on two phones at once.
Choose: When you want Liquid privacy or the Dolphin Card but currently use a different wallet.
Tips: Use Liquid or on-chain BTC for the transfer; Lightning swaps from other wallets will still incur fees.
Gotcha: You cannot import an old seed, so funds must physically move.
Choose: When you want to vault BTC or USDt elsewhere.
Tips: Liquid peg-outs rely on SideSwap liquidity; plan ahead for large amounts.
Gotcha: Peg-outs can take hours if SideSwap's hot wallet is empty.
Choose: When you need native Lightning or desktop support instead.
Tips: Use on-chain transfers for large amounts to avoid repeated Boltz fees.
Gotcha: Deleting Aqua without moving funds loses access permanently.
No. The wallet ships without analytics. Only optional services gather the email you volunteer.
No. The seed stays local, so recovery is entirely your responsibility.
Boltz automatically refunds your Liquid balance. If it stalls, use the Refund button or contact the provider with the swap ID.
Aqua is JAN3's mobile wallet that keeps Bitcoin, Liquid, and Lightning funds in one place. The app is self-custodial, so you write down a 12-word seed and control every transaction.
Aqua is JAN3's mobile wallet that keeps Bitcoin, Liquid, and Lightning funds in one place. The app is self-custodial, so you write down a 12-word seed and control every transaction.
Aqua keeps one balance spanning Bitcoin on-chain, the Liquid sidechain, and Lightning. You can also swap USDt to other chains through partners when needed.
No. The wallet is self-custodial. You only share an email if you opt into JAN3 services such as the Dolphin Card.
Aqua sends and receives Lightning through Boltz submarine swaps. You pay in L-BTC, Boltz settles over Lightning, and any refunds return to your Liquid balance.
Aqua only restores wallets that were originally created inside the app. It generates a 12-word seed that you should store offline as your only backup.
USDt on Liquid is native. When you send or receive USDt on networks like Ethereum or Tron, Aqua routes the transaction through swap providers such as SideShift or Changelly and their fees apply.
