Tether just shipped the feature that turns its mobile wallet from a stablecoin parking garage into something closer to a full-service Bitcoin payment tool. Version 1.4 of Tether Wallet introduces Lightning Network support, complete with BOLT11 invoices and LNURL functionality, letting users send and receive Bitcoin at the speed and cost that the base layer simply can’t match.
What the update actually does
BOLT11 is the standard format for Lightning Network payment invoices. It tells the sender exactly how much Bitcoin to send and where to route it. LNURL is a layer on top of that, making the whole process more human-friendly with features like reusable payment links and simplified authentication.
Tether Wallet users can now generate specific payment requests with exact amounts, scan or share Lightning invoices, and benefit from improved fee estimation. That last bit matters more than it sounds. Bad fee estimation on Lightning can mean failed payments or overpaying for routing.
The wallet supports Bitcoin on both the base layer and Lightning, USDT, USAT, and XAUT, Tether’s gold-backed token. All of this sits inside a self-custodial framework, meaning Tether never holds your keys. The app is built on Tether’s open-source Wallet Development Kit, or WDK.
