BTC China Launches iOS Apps, Reduces Fees

Exchange BTC China has relaunched the iOS version of its mobile exchange app, called simply 'BTC China', internationally on Apple's App Store.

Furthermore, an iOS version of the company's wallet and person-to-person bitcoin trading app 'Picasso' is also awaiting approval by Apple, and will feature lowered sending fees.

The new iOS exchange app is largely aimed at traders and has all the features currently present in BTC China's cross-platform HTML5-based offering, which was released in late July.

These include live candlestick, market depth and trade history charts, and user interface improvements including a redesigned trading interface and a dark, more eye-friendly theme. The app supports three currency trading pairs: BTC/CNY, LTC/CNY, and LTC/BTC.

Wallet app awaits approval

While the newer Picasso app awaits approval, the BTC China exchange app includes a link to the current version.

Picasso is the exchange's wallet app with a focus on regular spending. It also features an integrated 'sell for cash' feature that allows everyday people, business owners and shopkeepers to fulfil similar functions to bitcoin ATMs without requiring additional hardware.

The apps users have access to live price charts and can set their own trading commissions to sell bitcoins for cash.

It can take up to three weeks for a mobile app to be accepted for inclusion in the iOS App Store, with Apple also deciding in which countries' stores it may be sold.

Reduced fees and confirmation times

To coincide with the release of Picasso for iOS, BTC China has reduced transaction fees. Starting 11th August, the fee for sending bitcoin to an external address from a user's Picasso wallet has been lowered to 0.0001 BTC (about 5 US cents at time of publication) per transaction – down from 0.0005 BTC per transaction.

Sending bitcoin to other Picasso accounts remains free, with the funds being transferred instantly.

Additionally, to speed up the user experience, only two confirmations are needed for bitcoins to be sent to a user's Picasso address from an external address. Previously, the app required five confirmations.