Boston-based Bitcoin wallet and provider Circle received an honorable mention at Google I/O.The company’s Android wallet application was, in fact, the only finance app to make the “best in class” showcase, and the first-ever Bitcoin-related application to receive such an accolade.For perspective, Circle’s wallet was listed alongside such visible brands as Evernote, Tumblr, the New York Times, and BuzzFeed.In essence, Google has encouraged Android users to try out a Bitcoin wallet, and there is only one way for that to be useful to those who do – to buy some Bitcoin.Circle’s Bitcoin wallet has been the subject of more than one promotion by the company.They regularly offer limited-time incentives for new users to sign up for a Circle account and install the application.This wider user-base has surely contributed to the company having a chance to improve the software through bug reports, whereas other Bitcoin apps have recently had serious problems.The app allows the user to deposit via bank account with no fees as well as by taking a picture of their credit or debit card.

According to Google co-founder Larry Page, “If you have a product that’s gaining a lot of usage, then it’s a probably a good idea.” The the Circle app has about half the installs of the Coinbase app on the Android platform, the Circle app is, according to Google, the best in its class.It seems that Coinbase could have a serious competitor operating about four hours away, in a whole different jurisdiction.The Circle app allows for near-field communication transfers from phone to phone, security features, and, most importantly, “free insurance covering any loss of bitcoin in the unlikely event of a breach of digital or physical data storage at Circle.” This last part is a key concern for most Bitcoin users, who worry about using their bitcoins on a phone under any circumstances.Being able to transact safely via mobile devices is a key booster to Bitcoin usage at physical retailers, and the more apps that can achieve this, the faster we can expect to see Bitcoiners out spending their coins at stores which accept them.

The app is easy to use and set up, as you can see: Also read: Goldman Sachs Lead Investor in Bitcoin Exchange Circle’s Latest $50 Million Funding Round Will Circle and Coinbase be the Red Sox and Yankees of Bitcoin wallet providers?Will Coinbase and others answer this news with ruthless innovation and improvement of their platforms?Time will tell, but for now, Circle enjoys the throne as the first Bitcoin app to get on Google’s radar – in a good way, that is.Local Government in China Trials Blockchain for Public Services A city district in southern China is using blockchain to streamline government services for its one million residents.OneCoin 'License' is a Fake, Says Vietnamese Government OneCoin doesn't have a license to operate in Vietnam despite claims to the contrary, the government said this week.Bitcoin Scaling Plan Segwit2x Leaves More Questions Than Answers While SegWit2x has significant support, according to some in the bitcoin community, the group is closing off software development to outsiders.

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Circle is a company entwined with Bitcoin for quite some years now.The company offers exchange services, as well as a wallet solution and money transmission capabilities.But Circle is halting their Bitcoin exchange services permanently to focus on blockchain-based services.All users can withdraw their funds to a different wallet, but buying or selling cryptocurrency will no longer be possible.It is a sad day for Bitcoin users relying on to buy smaller amounts of cryptocurrency.After multiple years of loyal service, the company devised to pivot their business model.Not entirely surprising, as Circle has been hinting at blockchain-based services for quite some time now.They have been stepping away from bitcoin more often than not over the past year.That being said, this sudden change will still catch a few people by surprise.It is evident the company is far from the average consumer platform.Shifting resources to global social payments and next-generation blockchain technology is an understandable decision.

Other options to buy and sell Bitcoin directly are not difficult to find.Users who hold a Bitcoin balance can it to any of the supported major currencies.Once done so, the funds can then be withdrawn to a linked bank account or payment card.It is equally possible to transfer an existing Bitcoin balance to a regular wallet address, for those users who prefer that option.What is rather intriguing to note is how Circle now forwards Bitcoin users to the Coinbase exchange.Both companies formed a new “preferred partnership.” Considering how Coinbase is dealing with a by the IRS, that choice is rather intriguing, to say the least.Circle is switching their services to tackling the social payment space.It is good to see the company still focus on blockchain technology for this venture.As a result of this switch, Circle Pay received a few new features.In fact, the app is now organized around people rather than focusing on transactions.Perhaps a minor change to some, but it creates a more appealing layout for newcomers.