Peach Bitcoin is a marketplace operated by the Swiss company Peach SARL. In the app, you find someone willing to sell you bitcoin, for euros for example. You send the euros directly to that person; meanwhile, the bitcoin waits in escrow, a temporary holding arrangement with rules for releasing it. Trading between people this way is called peer-to-peer. The app also includes a wallet whose private keys let you authorize payments yourself. But a wallet, an ongoing trade and a bank transfer work differently: holding your own keys does not replace checking a payment or cooperating in a dispute.
Before choosing an offer, where you use the service matters. In its terms of July 1, 2026, Peach SARL excludes several countries and says it does not actively offer services in the European Union or European Economic Area (EU/EEA). It describes European access as reverse solicitation: someone seeks out the service entirely on their own initiative, without prior solicitation by the operator. That is Peach’s stated approach, not proof on its own of authorization under MiCA, the European rules for crypto-assets. A Czech user therefore cannot establish eligibility merely by opening the website or downloading the app. Availability and the conditions for a particular use need separate checking. [1] [8]
Imagine a seller preparing to publish an offer. First, they send the promised bitcoin into escrow. Peach describes multisig 2-of-2 between the seller and Peach: spending requires a signature from each of them. The buyer then pays using the agreed currency and payment method; the seller checks receipt and confirms payment. Bitcoin is released to the buyer’s address, which may belong to the app’s wallet or another wallet they own. During the trade, these funds are therefore not an ordinary balance that either party can freely spend alone. Peach does not receive the bank payment, but it still operates parts of the process and handles disputes. Direct exchange does not mean there is no intermediary in any part of the transaction. [1]
An “I’ve sent it” message helps people coordinate, but does not establish that money arrived. The seller checks the actual receipt of the full amount and the payer’s details in their own payment service. Peach flags examples such as a payment split into several parts, a regular buyer suddenly using another name, or a payment link funded with a card that may not belong to the sender. Another warning sign is an overpayment followed by a request to return the difference to a different account. A screenshot cannot settle these questions. If something does not match, pause confirmation, describe the problem in the trade chat and open a dispute if needed. Confirmation matters: a Bitcoin transfer has no chargeback button. [2] [1]
If buyer and seller cannot agree, a Peach mediator can review evidence from both sides. Opening a dispute gives that person access to the trade chat and payment details. The terms require a response to requests within 24 hours; if you need a bank statement, for example, ask for an extension before that deadline. Failing to respond may lead to a decision for the other party. Conversations outside the trade chat are excluded from dispute handling, so where you agree changes matters. The decision determines what happens to escrow. The Bitcoin network does not assess a bank transfer: the mediator relies on submitted evidence, and the decision itself does not automatically refund ordinary money. [1] [3]
Peach promotes trading without conventional registration, but an exchange still produces data. Its overview lists stored hashes of identifiers and payment details, encrypted chats, trade records and escrow addresses. A hash is a calculated fingerprint of data that can help recognize repeated use; it is not a promise that a trade leaves no trace. Your counterparty may also learn your name from a bank payment. Normally, payment details are meant to be readable only by the counterparty. Instant trade, however, allows an offer to be accepted automatically and shares those details with Peach for forwarding. An open dispute is another exception. Privacy therefore depends on the process you choose, not just the opening slogan. [3]
A Peach account lives in a file on your phone. A full backup can restore saved payment details and history too; a Seed Phrase, the backup words used to restore a wallet, has a narrower scope. According to the documentation, it restores access to the account and funds, but not chat history or either party’s saved payment details. Protect the backup file with a strong password and keep a copy away from the phone. When restoring in another wallet, the full balance sometimes fails to appear because the software searched too short a run of addresses. The gap limit sets how many consecutive unused addresses it will check before stopping. Raising it can uncover further used addresses; an empty display alone does not show that the bitcoin has disappeared. [4]
The quoted price is not the only number to compare. A seller may add a premium, a markup over a reference price; Peach fees and Bitcoin network fees are separate costs. The practical question is how much ordinary money you will send and how much bitcoin you will receive after costs. Payment confirmation does not necessarily mean immediate confirmation of a Bitcoin transaction either. GroupHug combines several payouts in one transaction to share network costs, and your payout may wait in a queue. Trade details show how full the current batch is and the estimated wait. If a faster payout is offered, compare its extra cost as well. Being queued, being broadcast and being included in a block are different stages. [1] [5]
You can browse offers and manage trades on a larger screen at web.peachbitcoin.com. A QR code pairs the browser with your mobile account; signing remains outside the web interface. An open tab therefore replaces neither the phone nor its backup. The public peach-app repository lets people inspect source code, but its existence alone does not verify a file you downloaded. For the Android APK installer, Peach describes comparing its checksum with a manifest, a published list of files and their fingerprints, then verifying the manifest’s signature. This also requires a reliably verified publisher key. The check helps establish a file’s origin and integrity; it does not by itself prove that the software is bug-free or that the binary matches the source code. [6] [7] [3]
For the clearest picture, read this entry together with Self-custody, Multisig, Bitcoin Privacy, Bisq. The reverse links also lead from Bisq.