Samsung Discreetly Adds Bitcoin Support to Blockchain Keystore

South Korean tech conglomerate Samsung has quietly added Bitcoin (BTC) support to its decentralized app store, Blockchain Keystore.

According to updated information on the Samsung Developers website, the Keystore now supports Bitcoin as well as Klaytn, the cryptocurrency released by Korean internet giant Kakao.

Select devices and jurisdictions

As the site outlines, Samsung’s Blockchain Keystore is supported by six of its devices — Galaxy S10e, S10, S10+, S10 5G, Note10 and Note10+ — and across six jurisdictions: Canada, Germany, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Keystore was first released in July of this year as part of Samsung’s blockchain and decentralized application (DApp) Software Development Kit (SDK), which provides account management as well as backup, payment and digital signature facilitation.

Notably, initially the Keystore had only supported the Ethereum blockchain. 

Earlier this month, Samsung had expanded SDK with two new services — an AI-powered digital analytics DApp dubbed “Jupiter” and a QR code-based peer-to-peer wallet, “Mars,” and integrated them into the Galaxy S10 and newer versions of Samsung smartphones.

Blockchain smartphones

In parallel to Samsung, Taiwanese consumer electronics giant HTC has also launched a blockchain-powered smartphone, dubbed “Exodus,” which launched in fall 2018.

Israeli blockchain startup Sirin Labs launched its Finney blockchain smartphone in winter 2018, but was soon reportedly forced to lay off a quarter of its   during the 2018-19 cryptocurrency bear market.