First off, I did all the Mixin Messenger thing on a Mac, and used Mornin Keys on an Android device. Thought I should leave this here so that people should know that the apps still work smoothly regardless of the OS difference.
Downloading Mornin KeysThis is the first thing that I downloaded and saw that it will cost me a dollar to install. It's an efficient little confirmation tool that communicates most of the requests fairly quick. It's great that it also allows you to use the biometric security feature of your phone rather than having you input your password every time you change apps on your phone.
Preparing Mixin Wallet/MessengerThis one was fairly easy: the
https://safe.mixin.zone/ page neatly displays a QR code and some pointers on why you should use Mixin Messenger. Everything was smooth leading to this point until I was hit by a road block:
I couldn't quite continue from where I left off after I tried creating a wallet. Little have I realized that the dock of the Mac was blocking whole "Next" button which will allow me to proceed to the next step. I wouldn't comment much on the placement of that little button but it will be a little better if that button was somewhere close on the "Network" tab. It took me a good 5 minutes to realize what the problem was, and I found it accidentally when I tried to switch between desktop and saw the blue button during the transition.
This is what it looks like without the dock. I know there's a lot of free real estate at the bottom of the page but then again..
Anyway, moving forward. Things were still going smoothly and I haven't noticed anything that will be a road block for a new user should they decide to use Mixin messenger. The next step requires one to confirm or 'authorize' the creation of a new safe by scanning the QR code through Mornin keys. Scanning takes a quick second and the authorization process went by quickly. This step only took me a minute to get past to.
This is the next step that you'll get once you have scanned the QR code displayed on the Mixin web app:
And this is what it should look like once Mornin keys recognized the QR code:
I know that people are used to apps that automatically authorizes things when they scanned a QR code. Note that Mornin keys does not do that, and you have to manually click the 'Authorize' button that appears on the floating window after the app recognizes the QR code.
Authorization takes a few seconds to complete, and the Mixin web app will automatically move to the next step once the authorization is done. This is what it looks like from Mornin keys and the Mixin web app at the same exact moment (I'm not exaggerating this):
Afterwards, you will be redirected to the third step which will ask you to upgrade your plan. I know, it sounds something that requires money again, but the prices are on the low side considering that you'll get something secure for all your transactions. For the basic plan, it costs around $2 which is a good price if you're looking to test whether Mixin Messenger is for you.
You have the option to add contacts wherein you can designate them to be one of the signature holders for a multi-sig safe. You are not required to add more than 1 signature holder for each safe you create, so I opt to stick with 1 on the above picture.
Once you have paid the amount indicated on the checkout page, you will then be greeted by this page:
You need to scan the QR code on your Mornin keys in order to finalize creating your safe. Once you have scanned the QR code in the webpage, the Mixin team will send you a message on the mobile app indicating that you have successfully created your safe.
The notifications, however, are not as instant as opposed to the confirmation back-and-forth between Mornin keys and the Mixin web app, but that's not an issue. After you have created the safe, you will be transported to the home page of the web app and you now have the option to view your safe.
For the purpose of this review, I have intentionally created a blank safe, or something that I haven't upgraded the plan of to check how it looks like if you have a pending safe creation. It's neat that they thought of saving your progress on every safe you have not finished as you have the option to delete them or continue them as you like - whether you are waiting for a new contact to create their own Mixin messenger for you to add them as a signatory in one of your multi-sig wallet. Whatever the case is, your progress is there right where you left off.
Sending a transactionNow these next few steps aren't complicated, too. If you're using any typical wallet for the last few months/years, the processes are the same.
1. Choose which safe you're going to use the funds from the transaction.
2. Input the address of the receiver you're going to send the funds to. You can just use the old copy and paste trick to complete this step. No QR codes involved here as I'm using the Mac web app version.
3. You will have to open your Mixin messenger and scan a QR code after hitting the Approve button on the lower part of the screen. The page also shows you the members required to authorize the transaction that are involved in the creation of the safe. It's a neat way of showing who needs to sign what. Members of the safe will also get a notification that they need to sign or authorize something.
Again, not hating on the web design. I know it's placed there due to the amount of white space on the bottom part of the page, but it would be easier if they placed it somewhere near where most of the details on the transaction are placed.
This is the QR code you will have to scan on the app:
4. Once that's done, the blue Approve button will turn gray:
5. You will be transported to the last part of the transaction. You will have to use Mornin keys in order to authorize the whole thing that you just did in Mixin messenger. It's a nice way of making sure that the transaction is extra secure, and that no one who might have access to your Mixin messenger can complete the transaction themselves. An extra layer of security is always welcome.
Oh and did I mention that it's neat that they have the QR code changing every second? This is the first time that I saw something like this, tbh. Great use of that existing tech!
6. The following image is what will appear on your Mornin keys once you have scanned the changing QR code. Again, you will have to manually approve the whole thing by clicking the 'Approve' button on the floating window:
And you're done! All you have to do is sit back and relax, wait for the confirmations to fill, and then check your receiving address if you got the btc.
Some key takeaways:- Extra layers of security before having a transaction finalized is pretty neat.
- Communication between Mornin Keys and Mixin Messenger and its web app is really, really quick.
- Positioning of some buttons on the web app can be optimized for better readability. It would be a problem for users that have big screens as they would have to look further before proceeding to the next step.
- There are tons of back-and-forth between different apps, so it's better to have two devices if you want your transaction to be as smooth as possible, but it's not a necessity.
ConclusionIf you are just a normal user who occasionally sends or receives bitcoins and
YOU'RE NOT running a business, I don't see a point in using Mixin messenger. But, if you're someone who values security and always wants to feel secure with your every transaction, then this is for you. Given that nowadays, there are tons of snooping bots, malware, and other similar software existing that aims to get your crypto from you, Mixin Messenger blocks those attempts and lets you transact in peace.
Lastly, please fix that 'Approve' button, Mixin team.