Damus Gets the Green Light

So, it finally happened! Damus, the social network that promises to be the ‘Twitter Killer,’ has officially been approved for the Apple App Store. After a series of rejections that felt more like a bad breakup, the Damus team shared the good news with their loyal 11,500 followers on January 31. Talk about perseverance! Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder and Nostr contributor, couldn’t resist spreading the word to his six million-plus followers, deeming the approval a monumental step for open protocols.

What Makes Damus Tick?

At its core, Damus is about empowerment and paves the way for a social network that offers users control. Built on Nostr—a decentralized network—Damus offers encrypted, end-to-end private messaging. An added kicker? It plans to allow uncensored content, ensuring that your hot takes don’t get lost in a algorithmic black hole. Oh, and did we mention it has built-in Bitcoin payment options via the Lightning Network? Yes, it has the potential to be your next favorite social app and e-wallet rolled into one.

No Servers, No Problem!

Forget about run-of-the-mill social media servers. Nostr operates using decentralized relays to distribute messages. This means messages are not stored on a central server, making it less vulnerable to hack jobs and exploitation. Developers even aim to use Bitcoin and the Lightning Network as a sort of digital bouncer, preventing spam attacks (goodbye, pesky trolls!).

Development Drama

Getting Damus on the App Store was far from smooth sailing. After three failed attempts, the team didn’t give up and communicated their feature implementations until Apple finally said, “Alright, you’re in!” This meant a lot of back and forth, with the Damus Twitter page expressing the frustration of developers like William Casarin. Seriously, who knew getting an app approved could feel like a reality TV elimination round?

Not Just Anyone Can Use It

Moreover, big names from various fields have taken the Damus for a spin. Cryptocurrency enthusiasts like Vitalik Buterin, whistleblower Edward Snowden, and pro-crypto Senator Cynthia Lummis have all kicked the tires on this new platform. And while the app itself is generating buzz, the web version has run into problems. A warning on the homepage stated the Damus Web was down due to someone trying to exploit loopholes. Talk about a buzzkill! But rest assured, the iOS version remains functional.