You can send a Lightning payment from the mobile BitBoxApp by scanning the recipient's payment QR code or entering their payment details. Your Lightning wallet must be active and have enough available balance to cover the payment and its fee.
You do not need to connect your BitBox for an ordinary Lightning payment. The hot wallet on your phone authorizes it, so obtain the payment request from the intended recipient and check the payment details before sending.
Supported Lightning payment details
Use one of these formats to pay over Lightning. A QR code is a way to share payment details; scanning one does not by itself mean the payment will use Lightning.
| Format | How it works |
|---|---|
| Lightning invoice (BOLT 11) | A single-use payment request from the recipient. It may specify an amount or ask you to enter one. |
| Lightning address | A reusable, email-like address that obtains a current invoice from the recipient. You enter the amount to send. |
| LNURL-Pay | A request that obtains the details needed to pay a recipient. The amount must be within the recipient's accepted range. |
Send a payment
Have the recipient's Lightning invoice, address, or LNURL-Pay request ready. If you copied it from a message or website, check that it came from the recipient you intend to pay.
Lightning payments cannot be reversed
Confirm only when the payment request and displayed details match the payment you intend to make. If you pay the wrong recipient or send the wrong amount, only the recipient can return the funds in a new payment.
- From the main dashboard's Portfolio, open Lightning and select Send. The payment scanner opens.
- Scan the recipient's payment QR code. Alternatively, select Enter address or invoice, enter the details in Enter payment details, and select Continue. If Paste from clipboard is available, you can use it to submit copied payment details directly.
- When the app opens the payment review, enter the amount in Sats or your configured fiat currency if the request does not specify one. For a fixed-amount invoice, check the amount shown. If the screen is marked On-chain, this is a Bitcoin-network transfer; do not continue with it if you intend to pay over Lightning.
- Wait for the app to prepare the payment and display Network fee and Total. Check the amount and any note. For a Lightning address or LNURL-Pay request, also check the address or service domain under To. A BOLT 11 invoice review does not show a separate recipient identity, so use the request you obtained from the intended recipient.
- Select Send only when the request and all displayed details are correct. If the app asks you to review an updated fee, check the new fee and total before confirming again.
The payment is complete when the BitBoxApp shows it as sent and it appears in the Lightning transaction history. If the result is unclear, check the history before trying again to avoid paying twice.
The fee depends on the amount and available payment route. Total includes the payment and fee and is the amount deducted from your Lightning balance. The app calculates the fee during preparation; a particular fee or route cannot be guaranteed in advance.
Unsupported QR codes and other transfer types
A service gives you an LNURL-Withdraw payout request
LNURL-Withdraw is not currently supported by the BitBoxApp. It is a request to receive a payout from a service, rather than to pay a recipient. Support for LNURL-Pay does not include LNURL-Withdraw, and scanning or pasting a new request in the same format will not resolve the incompatibility.
If you want to claim a service payout, see receiving alternatives for an unsupported withdrawal QR code. For example, Satsback offers automatic payouts to your existing BitBoxApp Lightning address without changing anything in the app.
The app recognizes a Bitcoin address
The send screen can also recognize a Bitcoin address and open an On-chain transfer review. This spends from your Lightning wallet to the Bitcoin network, with on-chain fees and blockchain confirmations. It is a different transfer type from paying a Lightning invoice or address.
If you intended to pay over Lightning, return to payment entry and ask the recipient for supported Lightning details. To move funds to one of your own BitBox Bitcoin accounts, follow Withdraw Lightning funds to a BitBox Bitcoin account.
If the payment does not complete
- The available balance cannot cover the payment and fee: choose a lower amount if the recipient accepts it, or top up the Lightning wallet. For a fixed-amount invoice, ask the recipient for a new invoice if you need to change the amount.
- The amount is outside the accepted range: enter an amount within the limits shown for the LNURL-Pay request or Lightning address.
- The payment request is invalid or unsupported: ask the recipient for a BOLT 11 invoice, Lightning address, or LNURL-Pay request. If it is a service payout request, use the receiving guidance above instead.
- The invoice expired or was already paid: ask for a new invoice for a new payment. Check the history first if you are unsure whether the previous payment completed.
- No payment route is available: try again later or ask the recipient for another supported request. Do not repeatedly confirm the same request.
- The payment remains pending or its result is unclear: check the Lightning transaction history before sending again.
Contact BitBox Support
Contact BitBox Support if a supported payment repeatedly fails or its status remains unclear. Include the BitBoxApp version, mobile operating system, approximate time, amount, payment-information type, transaction status, and exact non-sensitive error message.
Share only the non-sensitive details needed to investigate the failure. Never send recovery words, backup contents, an optional passphrase, private keys, passwords, or PINs. Do not share a service's withdrawal QR code or payout link: it may allow someone else to claim the payout.