As part of our continuous effort to provide the best possible experience for our users, we are officially announcing the deprecation of Flow 2.0. Effective September 1st, we will stop the creation of new channels, and starting November 1st, channel closures will commence. It is recommended that any users with channels to our Flow 2.0 node should perform a cooperative channel close at their earliest convenience.
Why We're Deprecating Flow 2.0
Flow 2.0 was developed with a singular goal: to make liquidity an available resource precisely when it’s needed. It allowed users to receive payments without worrying about channel capacity or managing their liquidity. While Flow 2.0 achieved much of what we set out to do, we recognize that the evolving needs of our users demand an even better solution.
Over the past year, we’ve listened to feedback and identified areas where Flow 2.0, despite its innovations, still fell short. The static nature of channel provisioning, for instance, presented challenges for merchants and noncustodial applications. Merchants need a seamless experience that doesn’t require upfront fees and constant monitoring, while developers need solutions that don’t lock up liquidity or add complexity to their apps.
Flow 2.0 addressed many of these pain points by enabling instant channel creation, but we believe we can push the boundaries even further. Our new platform, currently in development, promises to offer an even more efficient, user-friendly, and powerful solution for connecting to the Lightning Network.
What’s Next?
While Flow 2.0 served its purpose as a groundbreaking step towards dynamic liquidity provisioning, the future lies in a platform that goes beyond the limitations of its predecessor. Our new platform will provide a far superior way to transact with Lightning, abstracting away the complexities for all users—whether they are service providers, app developers, or merchants.
We’re excited about the possibilities this new platform will unlock and the enhanced experience it will deliver. More details will be shared in the coming months, so stay tuned as we prepare to revolutionize integrating with the Lightning Network.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we transition towards this new chapter.
