If you use Nostr on your phone, you’ve probably seen Citrine pop up in conversations. It’s a clean and lightweight client that runs beautifully on Android. Most people use Citrine simply to connect to public relays — but there’s a hidden superpower here: you can host your own relay directly on your phone.

And that changes the game.

Why would you want your own relay?

Public relays are great for discovery, but they’re crowded and temporary. Messages can vanish, zaps get lost, and you don’t really control what happens with your data.

By running your own relay, you suddenly get:

• A private archive – Your notes, zaps, and events are safe from pruning policies.
• More reliability – No downtime just because a public relay is overloaded.
• Zap history that never disappears – Perfect if you want to track your Lightning activity.

Think of it like moving from renting a desk in a noisy coworking space… to having your own quiet office.

ZapTracker: Why this matters

Zaps are one of the coolest features on Nostr. They’re more than just tips – they’re little moments of support that show how much the network values you. But if you’re only on public relays, some of that history can disappear.

With your own relay running on Citrine, you can:

• Build a personal zap journal of every sat sent and received.
• Always know who zapped you, when, and why.
• Use your relay for ZapTracker — a reliable logbook for your Lightning interactions.

No lost history, no missing context. Just your zaps, neatly stored.

How to get started

1. Install Citrine on Android (find it on Zapstore).
2. Set up your own relay inside the app.
3. Connect #ZapTracker to it, and start using it as your personal zap archive. ZapTracker App

That’s it. No server racks, no VPS, no headache. Just your phone, running a relay in your pocket.

👉 With Citrine, your Android isn’t just a Nostr client. It’s your own little Nostr server + ZapTracker combo. Once you try it, you’ll wonder why you ever left your zaps scattered across public relays.