Ever since the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) was launched in 2017, Web3 users have been able to replace the long strings of characters that make up a cr
Ever since the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) was launched in 2017, Web3 users have been able to replace the long strings of characters that make up a crypto address with a more easily memorized blockchain username or Web3 domain name. For example, Ethereum (ETH) users can now send crypto to the network’s founder, Vitalik Buterin, at his username of vitalik.eth without knowing that his address is 0xd8da6bf26964af9d7eed9e03e53415d37aa96045.
But despite this advancement making it much easier to identify users, hardly anyone has taken advantage of it. There are over 200 million unique addresses on Ethereum, yet only 2.2 million .eth names were registered as of January. This means that at least 97% of Ethereum addresses are not associated with an ENS username.
This lack of usernames creates user experience problems in the Web3 ecosystem. Just imagine if early email addresses had consisted of long strings of characters that looked like 0x7a16ff8270133f063aab6c9977183d9e72835428 or 0x3A7937851d67Ee2f51C959663749093Dc87D9C9a. If this had been the case, Email may not have survived as a practice.
But despite this initial lack of adoption, there is some evidence that the tide may be turning in favor of Web3 usernames. A few recent advancements in wallet and messaging apps may onboard more users than ever before.
One of these advancements is better wallet integration with free usernames.
Wallet integration and free usernames
Wallets have had the ability to understand Web3 names for a long time. According to Metamask’s changelog, it introduced the ability to send to a .eth name in October, 2017, right after ENS launched. Other wallets have followed suit with this feature, including Coinbase wallet, Trustwallet, and others. Some of these wallets have also integrated with ENS rivals Unstoppable Domains, Space ID, Bonfida and others.
However, these wallets still show a crypto address to users by default, as new users don’t typically receive names automatically.
In order for a user to receive crypto via their Web3 name, they need to first register a username with a particular name provider. This means figuring out which provider to use, navigating to the providers interface, and going through the process of registering.
To make matters worse, names can be expensive. ENS names typically cost $5 and expire after a year, while Unstoppable Domains names that do not need to be renewed typically cost from $20-$40. Compare this with how easy it is to sign up for an email address for free using Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo. etc., and it’s easy to see why most crypto users don’t have a Web3 username.
A few wallet apps have been trying to solve this problem by giving away free domain names to their users. For example, Coinbase wallet allows new users to register a single .cb.id username for free, once per year, and Kresus wallet offers its users a free .kresus username of up to 8 characters as well.
This practice of giving out free usernames has begun only recently. And some popular wallets like Trustwallet and Metamask still don’t offer the feature. But as more users onboard to the Web3 ecosystem, this may lead to greater adoption of Web3 usernames over time.
Another recent advancement is instant messaging integration.
Chat messaging with Web3 usernames
Some messaging apps have begun to implement Web3 names as usernames, increasing these names’ utility beyond the payments use-case. One example is Blockscan Chat. It allows users to send instant messages to any Ethereum address or ENS username.
Caption: Blockscan Chat interface. Source: Blockscan
When messages are sent using Blockscan chat, they produce alerts on the Etherscan block explorer. If the recipient sees the alert and logs into the app, they are able to read the message. The developer of the app claims that all of its messages are end-to-encrypted. So although anyone can see if a particular user has received a message, only the sender and recipient can read it.
Web3 usernames aren’t an absolute necessity for using Blockscan chat, as it does allow users to send messages to crypto addresses as well. But names do make it much easier for users to find each other in the app.
Another example is Grill.chat, a messaging app running on the Subsocial (SUB) network. When a user first signs up for it, they are assigned a random username. But they can optionally attach an Ethereum wallet to their account. If they do this, the app automatically converts their random username into their .eth username.
Being able to find other users to chat with via their web3 usernames is arguably a more useful feature than being able to send crypto with them.
After all, the crypto community is still small. If a crypto user needs money from friends or family, they may be better off right now using traditional Web2 apps like Venmo or Apple Pay, as their friends and family may not know how to use a Web3 wallet. But if a person wants to chat specifically…
cointelegraph.com