© 2026 Della Group. All Rights Reserved.
Here's the deal: Phoenix Wallet is your ticket to zapping Bitcoin around the Lightning Network super fast, all from your phone, without trusting some exchange. It's self custodial, meaning you hold the keys. And honestly, it's dead simple once you get the hang of it-no node nerd stuff required. Grabbing and Setting Up Phoenix Okay, first things first. Head to your app store-Google Play or iOS App Store-and search "Phoenix Wallet." It's free, open source, made by ACINQ folks. Download it. Takes like 30 seconds. Launch the app. You'll see a screen saying "Get started" or something chill like that. Tap Create new wallet. Boom. It generates your keys right there on your phone. But wait-backup time. Hit the gear icon (settings) in the top left or bottom, depending on your version. Go to "Recovery Phrase" or "Seed." Tap "Display Seed." Write down those 12 words on paper. Not digital. Paper. Hide it safe. I usually split mine across two spots, like a safe and a trusted friend's house. Lose that seed? Lose your sats forever. Harsh truth. Why does this matter? Phone dies, stolen, whatever-you punch those words into a new install and you're back. Tested it myself after wiping my phone. Works like magic. Now you're in. Empty balance, but ready to roll. Balance shows sats (1 sat = 0.00000001 BTC). Cool, right? Funding It: Get Sats In There Look, you can't spend what you don't have. Phoenix shines here 'cause it auto handles Lightning channels. No manual node setup. # Quick Lightning Receive (Easiest for Small Amounts) Tap Receive (bottom left usually). QR code pops up. That's your Lightning invoice. Edit the amount if you want, say 5,000 sats (~$2-3 depending on BTC price). Share the QR or copy the string. Friend scans/pastes/sends. First time? It opens a channel automatically. Might take a minute, costs a tiny on chain fee-like 3,000 sats min or ~1% back then, now down to 0.4% + 4 sats for swaps. Channel size? Around your payment + buffer, like 25k-300k sats depending. Sats land instantly after. No waiting like on chain. In my experience, repeat receives to same connections? Free or mining fees only if low (~under 10 sat/vB). # On Chain Swap (From Exchanges or Other Wallets) Can't do Lightning yet? No prob. In Receive, scroll down or tap "Show Bitcoin address." Gives you an on chain address. Send BTC there from Coinbase, Kraken, whatever. Min 10,000 sats. Phoenix swaps it to Lightning for you. Fee: 0.4% + 4 sats, min 3k sats. Channel opens, funds hit your balance. From Kraken? Paste the Phoenix generated invoice as a withdrawal request. Confirm. Done. Pro tip: Time it when BTC fees are low (check mempool.space). Saves you sats. What's next? Check settings > Payment channels. See your channels listed. Inbound/outbound capacity shown. First one's maybe 70k sats inbound-enough for small stuff. Sending Sats: Zap Like a Boss Sending's where Lightning flexes-instant, dirt cheap. Tap Send (top right). Options: Scan QR, paste from clipboard, or manual. - Lightning Invoice: Paste the string (starts with ln..). Auto fills amount. Fees? 1 sat base + 0.01%, up to 12 sats + 0.3% for bigger hops. Tiny. - Lightning Address: Like email. Type "username@geyser.fund" or whatever. Phoenix resolves it, sends. - LNURL: Scan QR for withdraws. Handy for tips. Hit Pay. Confirms instantly. Or fails atomic-no partials. Example: Wallet of Satoshi gives you an address? Paste. Send 10k sats. Gone in seconds. But sometimes fails? "No route." Means channels too small or clogged. Wait, try smaller amount, or receive first to build capacity. Happened to me once-added inbound, fixed. Settings You Gotta Tweak Gear icon. Here's the good stuff. Tor? Toggle on for privacy-hides your IP. Bit slower, but worth it on public WiFi. Resets per session. Drain wallet? Emergency send all to on chain address. Use if closing up. Logs? Advanced, ignore unless debugging. Max fee? Adjust if payments stuck-higher for urgency. In my experience, defaults rock 95% of the time. Real Talk: Fees Breakdown Phoenix keeps it transparent. No surprises.
| Type | Fee | When? |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning Send | 1 sat + 0.01% to 12 sats + 0.3% | Every send, routing based |
| On Chain Swap In | 0.4% + 4 sats (min 3k sats) | First fund or non LN receives |
| Channel Open (Receive) | Mining fee only now (low network = free ish) | Repeat inbound |
| Splice (Resize) | On chain fee | Auto when needed |
© 2026 Della Group. All Rights Reserved.