Radar Chat Launches to Combine Encrypted Messaging and Self-Custodial Bitcoin Payments

Sending a Bitcoin payment still feels very different from sending a message. You open a wallet, copy an address, switch apps, paste the details and hope everything is correct before pressing send.

The team behind Cake Wallet wants to eliminate that process. It has launched Radar Chat, a new messaging app that combines end-to-end encrypted conversations with self-custodial Bitcoin Lightning payments, allowing users to send Bitcoin as easily as sending a text message.

Built by the creators of Cake Wallet, which is trusted by nearly 2 million users, Radar Chat is available today on iOS and Android.

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Messaging and Payments in One App

Radar Chat combines two services that have traditionally lived separately. Users can exchange private messages while sending Bitcoin over the Lightning Network without leaving the conversation or copying wallet addresses between apps.

Instead of opening a separate wallet, users simply enter an amount within the chat and send the payment directly. The company says transactions settle in under a second while remaining fully self-custodial, meaning users retain complete control of their Bitcoin at all times.

One of Radar Chat's biggest differentiators is its compatibility with Signal.

Rather than asking users to rebuild their contact lists or convince friends to join a new platform, Radar Chat can communicate with existing Signal users, making the transition significantly easier.

The application is built using the Signal Protocol, providing end-to-end encrypted messaging while integrating Bitcoin payments directly into conversations. According to the company, user funds remain on their own devices and Radar Chat never has access to private keys or customer assets.

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Built Around Privacy

Radar Chat has been designed around principles familiar to many Bitcoin users, including self-custody, privacy and censorship resistance.

The app is open source, free to use and does not include advertising, trackers, subscription tiers or hidden fees. The company says messages, contacts, notes, balances and payments all remain private by default.

"Bitcoin doesn't need new principles. It needs better user experiences," said Vikrant Sharma, Founder and CEO of Radar Chat. "The future isn't choosing between sovereignty and usability. It's products that deliver both."

Sharma believes sending Bitcoin should eventually become as intuitive as everyday messaging. "Sending Bitcoin shouldn't feel different from sending a message. Radar is designed to make moving money feel as natural as everyday conversation."

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Making Bitcoin Easier to Use

Radar Chat says the app is designed for everyday transactions, whether users are splitting a restaurant bill, sending money to friends, supporting creators or participating in local Bitcoin economies.

By integrating payments directly into conversations, the company hopes to reduce some of the complexity that has traditionally discouraged newcomers from using Bitcoin.

"Bitcoin circular economies thrive when spending and earning Bitcoin feels as natural as everyday conversation," said Seth for Privacy, COO of Radar Chat. "Radar helps remove friction from those interactions."

The company also says it financially supports Signal, contributing back to the open-source messaging protocol that powers its encrypted communications.

With messaging and payments increasingly converging across digital platforms, Radar Chat is betting that combining private conversations with self-custodial Bitcoin transactions could make sending sats feel as natural as sending a message.