Managing Your Contacts in Flash
Learn how to access, add, and interact with contacts in the Flash app

Managing Your Contacts in Flash
This guide provides a complete overview of Flash’s Contacts feature, explaining how to find, add, and interact with your contacts for messaging and Bitcoin payments.
Table of Contents
- Accessing Your Contacts
- Finding Contacts
- Adding New Contacts
- Interacting with Contacts
- Sending Bitcoin to Contacts
- Contact Privacy & Security
Accessing Your Contacts
You can access your contacts through the Chat screen in Flash:
From the Chat Screen
- Open the Flash app and tap the Chat icon in the bottom navigation
- At the top of the Chat screen, you’ll see a “Contacts” tab that provides access to your contact list
Finding Contacts
The Contacts interface makes it easy to locate the people you want to connect with:
Browse Your Contact List
- Your contacts are automatically sorted with most frequent interactions at the top
- Scroll through your list to find people you regularly transact with
Use the Search Bar
- At the top of the Contacts view, you’ll find a search bar
- Tap it and enter a name to quickly find specific contacts
- This is especially useful when you have many contacts in your list
Adding New Contacts
Flash offers multiple ways to add new contacts to your network:
Add Manually
- Tap the ”+” button in the top-right corner of the Contacts view
- Enter their Flash username or Lightning address
- Confirm to add them to your contacts
Scan a QR Code
- From the ”+” menu, select the scan option
- Use your camera to scan someone’s Flash QR code
- This instantly adds them to your contacts
Automatic Addition
- Flash automatically adds people to your contacts when you send or receive a payment
- This creates a self-maintaining system focused on actual financial relationships
- No manual contact management required
Interacting with Contacts
Once you’ve added contacts, you can interact with them in several ways:
Viewing Contact Details
- Tap on any contact to open their profile
- Here you’ll see their profile information, transaction history, and available actions
- Contact details include their username, profile picture, and payment address
Starting a Chat
- From a contact’s profile, tap the “Message” button to open or create a chat thread
- You can also send messages directly from the chat tab by selecting the contact
- Messages are end-to-end encrypted when both users are on the NOSTR protocol
Viewing Transaction History
- Each contact’s profile displays your complete payment history
- This helps you track your financial interactions over time
- The history includes payment amounts, dates, and any attached notes
Sending Bitcoin to Contacts
Flash makes it simple to send Bitcoin to your contacts:
Send from Contact Profile
- Open a contact’s profile and tap the “Send” button
- Enter the amount, add an optional note, and confirm the payment
- The transaction is processed instantly via the Lightning Network
Send from Chat
- During a chat conversation, tap the Lightning icon to initiate a payment
- This allows you to seamlessly mix communication and payments in a single thread
- The recipient receives a notification of your payment in the chat
Quick Payments with Saved Amounts
- For frequent contacts, Flash may display quick payment buttons
- These common amounts are based on your payment history
- Tap a quick payment button to send that amount with just one action
Contact Privacy and Security
Your Flash contacts are designed with privacy and security as priorities:
Local Storage: Your contact list is stored only on your device, not on centralized servers
Private Relationships: Your transaction history remains private between you and each contact
NOSTR Integration: Contacts who also use NOSTR provide end-to-end encrypted messaging
Manual Control: You can remove any contact at any time by swiping left on their entry and tapping “Delete”
The Contacts feature in Flash creates a seamless bridge between your social connections and financial transactions, making Bitcoin payments as simple as sending a message.