Chivo Wallet, still a headache for Salvadorians

TL;DR Breakdown

• Many Salvadorians find it hard to use Chivo Wallet app.
• Also, many Salvadorians don’t understand how Bitcoin works.

Two months after El Salvador launched its official Bitcoin wallet, Chivo app, scores of Salvadorians are said to still be finding their way around the tech.

It began the first day the app was launched, in September 7. Several glitches were reported, with many unable to download the app and after they were able to download, reports that the app didn’t work followed.

According to findings by sources in El Salvador, the problem has persisted in the Central American country till now.

Chivo wallet is the crypto app developed by the Salvadorian government primarily for citizens to buy and use Bitcoin in their day-to-day lives. The app became necessary after Nayib Bukele, the president, made Bitcoin a legal tender in El Salvador.

Outside Chivo wallet, Bitcoin a headache for Salvadorians

Scores of Salvadorians that spoke about Bitcoin adoption and in the country explained that the tech is somewhat difficult, leaving them confused about what to do with their coins and the Chivo wallet app. Many are said to have given up using the app after withdrawing $30 airdrop gifted to them by the government to encourage them to adopt BTC and Chivo.

Some, however, say they are still holding and waiting for the coin to go up.

What Salvadorians are saying about Bitcoin

Luis Mauricio, a 30-year-old mechanic who spoke about BTC in El Salvador, said, “Chivo still doesn’t work completely, although over time I hope it gets fixed and that will generate more confidence in its use. He added that he had issues using the Chivo ATM—which lets users take out their Bitcoin gains in dollars and send the crypto—over the weekend.

Vitalik Buterin, developer of Ethereum, while speaking last month, said that “This tactic of pushing BTC to millions of people in El Salvador at the same time with almost no attempt at prior education is reckless, and risks a large number of innocent people getting hacked or scammed.” A lot of people agreed with him.

For 48-year-old Rodolfo Rosales,he said there were a lot of misconceptions about Bitcoin in El Salvador. “Truthfully, people need more education about it,” he said.

Many others said once they received the $30-worth of Bitcoin, they immediately spent it and then forgot about the app altogether.