Our team was excited to receive an invitation to preview the new Primal iOS app during its private beta phase a few weeks ago, and we have been itching to share our experience using it with you! In case you missed today’s Primal TestFlight announcement, we will link to it at the end of this report.
First Impressions
The Primal iOS UI and UX is exactly what you would expect if you’ve used their excellent web app, Primal.net. It is clean, the navigation is intuitive, and any upcoming features that are under development are clearly labeled (eg, DMs).
| Timeline | Writing a Post and Tagging Users |
|---|---|
 |  |
Settings are robust, and include some powerful features such as customizing your notifications, custom #Zaps and of course, dark mode.
Features
If you’ve used the Primal web app on either mobile or desktop, you will find the design and features of the mobile app very familiar. The timeline allows you to choose from your various feeds, which can be customized in settings.
| Search | Custom feed | Access custom feeds |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Although the future of #nostr zaps on iOS in general is still a work in progress, Primal’s current implementation of #zaps is excellent. Zaps are implemented using Alby NWC, with an electrifying animation when you send a zap. The app supports one-tap zaps using your default amount, as well as custom zaps with comments by long-pressing the zap button.
| #1Tap2Zap | Custom Zap |
|---|---|
 |  |
Custom zap settings can also be configured in the settings menus.
| Zap Settings | Custom Zap Buttons |
|---|---|
 |  |
Onboarding
Miljan and the Primal team have carefully thought out onboarding new users, creating an intuitive and easy process for anyone to sign up, even if they have little understanding of the #Nostr protocol.
For users coming from Twitter, the signup process includes the option to quickly import your Twitter profile picture, banner, and profile description.
| Import Twitter Profile | Twitter Name |
|---|---|
 |  |
| Twitter profile found | Nostr account created |
|---|---|
 |  |
Users are then presented with a list of suggested Nostr accounts to follow.
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Primal iOS is still in beta, and some features are still under development as is to be expected. We’re excited to see Nostr’s continued growth and development, and believe that this app from Primal raises the bar of excellence in providing users with a great user experience from the very start.
“At Primal, we are building an alternative to the closed legacy social media platforms. Nostr is still in its infancy, so our focus is to build the infrastructure and user experiences that will make it easily accessible to everyone.” -
Primal’s full release announcement and video can be found here:
Stay Classy Nostr.