Payjoin in Cake Wallet

Quick steps

1. Open the Bitcoin wallet settings. Switch to your Bitcoin wallet and open its settings.
2. Enable Use Payjoin. Go to Privacy and switch on Use Payjoin.
3. Make sure you have funds. Keep some confirmed bitcoin in the wallet so it can add an input when receiving.
4. Share the Payjoin QR code. Tap Receive and check the Payjoin enabled badge, then share the QR code or tap Copy Payjoin URL.
5. Let it complete. Keep the app available. The payment shows Awaiting Transaction, then In Progress, or arrives as a normal payment if the sender lacks Payjoin.

Cake Wallet introduced Payjoin v2 in version 4.28.0 in May 2025, following BIP 77 and using the Payjoin Dev Kit (No Bullshit Bitcoin, May 2025). It is available on Bitcoin wallets in the iPhone and Android apps.

What Payjoin does

Chain-analysis tools often assume that every input of a Bitcoin transaction belongs to the same person. In a Payjoin, the receiver contributes an input too. The result looks like an ordinary payment on-chain, but the "all inputs are the sender's" guess is wrong, and the payment amount is harder to read. Cake Wallet notes that each Payjoin weakens this kind of analysis for everyone, including people who never use it (Cake Wallet docs, 2026).

Payjoin v2 is asynchronous: sender and receiver do not have to be online at the same time. Cake Wallet says neither side needs to run a server.

Turning it on

Payjoin is off by default. In a Bitcoin wallet, open the settings, go to Privacy and switch on Use Payjoin. The app's own hint calls this path Menu, Privacy, Use Payjoin; the documentation describes it as Settings, Wallet settings, Privacy (Cake Wallet docs and app text, 2026).

Receiving a Payjoin

With Payjoin on, the Receive screen shows a Payjoin enabled badge under the QR code. The QR code holds both your address and a Payjoin link, and you can use Copy Payjoin URL. If the sender's wallet supports Payjoin, it happens automatically; the app shows states such as Awaiting Transaction and In Progress. If the sender's wallet does not support it, the money arrives as a normal transaction.

You need some confirmed bitcoin in the wallet to contribute an input. An empty wallet shows Payjoin unavailable and receives normally; the app says Payjoin is enabled automatically once the wallet has funds.

Sending a Payjoin

Scan or paste the recipient's Payjoin link on the Send screen and send as usual. Cake Wallet negotiates in the background. If the Payjoin cannot be completed, the payment falls back to a standard transaction, so the recipient is still paid.

Requirements and limits

Compatibility is still limited. When Cake Wallet launched Payjoin v2 in 2025, reports noted that its implementation could not yet interoperate with Bull Bitcoin's earlier Payjoin v2 version. Test with a small amount before relying on a specific wallet pair. Payjoin is not a mixer: it makes analysis harder for each payment but does not hide your history.

What a Payjoin looks like on-chain

Say Alice pays Bob 0.01 BTC. In a normal payment, Alice's wallet spends one or more of her coins and sends 0.01 BTC to Bob plus change back to herself. An observer assumes all inputs are Alice's and that one output is the payment.

Because a Payjoin looks like an ordinary transaction, it does not stand out the way some privacy tools do.

When a Payjoin does not happen

• The payment arrived as a normal transaction. The sender's wallet probably does not support Payjoin v2, or the negotiation failed. The money is still yours; nothing needs fixing.
• Payjoin unavailable on Receive. Your wallet has no spendable bitcoin to add. Receive a normal payment first and wait for it to confirm.
• No Payjoin option at all. Check that you are in a Bitcoin wallet on a phone, that it is not watch-only, and that Use Payjoin is on.
• Something looks stuck. Cake Wallet lets you Export Payjoin logs from the app for support. Never share your seed with anyone offering help.

For other problems, see transaction pending.

Combining with other privacy tools

Payjoin protects the structure of a transaction. Silent Payments protect the receiving address, and coin control helps you avoid linking coins yourself (see Bitcoin in Cake Wallet). Connecting over Tor hides your IP address from servers; see Tor in Cake Wallet.

Is it worth turning on?

For most Bitcoin users there is little downside. Payjoin costs no extra fee, falls back to a normal payment when the other side cannot take part, and does not change how you back up the wallet. The main costs are that receiving needs a spendable coin in the wallet, and that your coins get combined with the payer's in a way you did not choose. If you track coins carefully with coin control, keep that in mind when you receive.

Back up your seed before using any of these, and remember that Cake Wallet never asks for your seed or contacts you first.

Frequently asked questions