Huge thanks to SimpleX's developer for coming through for the event!

Here's what he shared with us about the future of nostr:npub1exv22uulqnmlluszc4yk92jhs2e5ajcs6mu3t00a6avzjcalj9csm7d828:

-Moving off Github this year
-Flatpak support is coming very soon, like 1 week
-iPad Support this year
-Group chat on-board with 2-3 other users will eliminate the need for the admin to be online
-Will be getting rid of the "connecting" on initial sync and increase speed of on-boarding

With the new feature to hide IPs, the user is first sending it to a server they trust, which passes it to the other server.  How do users know who to trust?

The app will soon be able to differentiate infrastructure operators in these ways:
-several preset providers in the app next year
-operators can self-identify with certs, it's optional - this year
-using servers of people you are friends with or know - very soon
-A user asked about a directory - but it is not coming due to privacy and trust concerns it would create

To make the network financially sustainable and provide the commercial incentive to the operators they are designing the concept of "infrastructure vouchers" that are planned for 2026.
These vouchers will:

-Will be on a private blockchain maintained by the approved operators together with the app developer(s)
-Work like gift cards, except:
-Vouchers won't be transferable from 1 user to another
-No refunds
-No wallet
-Stays in-app
-Can't be used as external money to avoid compliance requirements
-One can buy vouchers with Monero (or other cryptocurrencies), as long as XMR remains legal
-Government fiat can be used
-Voucher sellers may be different than server operators (collectors)
-It won't be just the SimpleX team selling vouchers, some decentralization

Here's more details on his commercial model:
https://github.com/simplex-chat/simplex-chat/blob/stable/docs/rfcs/2024-04-26-commercial-model.md

And if you haven't already seen the new version with slick UI, head over to https://simplex.chat