Pi has introduced new capabilities for developers building on Pi, including local storage support, access to app-specific staking data in the Ecosystem Directory Staking, and file and video sharing. Pi’s new developer documentation is also now live, providing a single destination for technical resources and a clearer path from getting started to building and launching an app.
Together, these updates expand the tools available to developers while improving the documentation and onboarding resources that support development on Pi.
New Developer Capabilities for Building on Pi
Local Storage Support
Pi has added local storage support for an initial set of whitelisted apps in the Pi Browser, giving these apps a way to keep certain data directly on a Pioneer’s device. This is one more way that Pi is reducing the cost and complexity of building on the network.
Preferences, session state, and other data suited to local storage can be kept on the device instead of requiring developers to store and serve that data from their own backend, helping reduce associated infrastructure costs.
Pi Browser manages this data on the app’s behalf, and the contents stay on the Pioneer’s device rather than being uploaded to Pi servers, keeping that data private to the device. The support is also designed to provide a more consistent storage experience across iOS and Android. Because the data is stored locally, it remains associated with a particular account and device rather than automatically following a user across devices.
Apps must initially be whitelisted to use this capability. Under the current implementation, whitelisted apps share a limited pool of local device storage, and stale data may be removed when that storage becomes full. Local storage is therefore not intended to serve as guaranteed permanent storage. Enabling the capability app by app provides additional guardrails and caution over its initial use while allowing Pi to validate performance and storage behavior across devices, storage conditions, and real usage patterns.
Staking Data API
Pi has also introduced a staking data API that allows developers to view the effective amount a user has staked for their app through the Ecosystem Directory Staking feature. Effective stake takes into account both the amount of Pi staked and a boost based on the duration of that stake.
The API returns the user’s effective stake specifically for the requesting app, giving developers access to app-specific staking information that they can incorporate into their applications.
Access to this API also initially requires the requesting app to be whitelisted, helping ensure that testing and feedback from developers and Pioneers during this initial period can help inform how the API evolves.
File and Video Sharing Capability
Developers can now use Pi.shareFile to enable users to share files, including video, from their applications.
This gives developers another capability they can incorporate into apps that require file-sharing functionality, supporting a wider range of app experiences. This can support use cases such as a marketplace app letting a Pioneer share a receipt or images of disputed items, or a game or content app letting users share an image or video clip directly from the app. By using the phone’s native share functionality, developers can add these experiences without building a separate sharing flow themselves.
Improved Developer Documentation Released
Pi’s new developer documentation is now live, creating a single destination for developers building on Pi and improving the developer experience.
Previously, Pi developer documentation was distributed across multiple destinations, including SDK documentation, the Community Developer Guide, and a GitHub documentation repository. The resources could overlap, and developers entering through different Pi webpages or other channels could arrive at different sources.
The new site consolidates developer documentation on a single Pi-owned domain and reorganizes it around the developer journey. Developers can follow a clearer path from getting started and registering an app through sandbox development, integrating Pi features, and preparing an app for launch.
In addition to consolidation, the new documentation was also enriched with more details and clarifications about the platform that was previously reported by community developers as unclear. The documentation covers getting started with Pi development, including account and app registration, sandbox setup, SDK and platform references, authentication and payments, and the path from sandbox development through Mainnet and launch. It also introduces AI-assisted guidance for integrating authentication and payments.
The documentation has also been reviewed against current platform behavior, helping ensure that developers can use one current source as they build.
Supporting Development Across the Pi Ecosystem
Developer tools are an important part of Pi’s broader focus on utility because they directly affect the types of applications and services that developers can create on Pi. Local storage, app-specific staking data, and file sharing each provide additional building blocks developers can incorporate into their apps, while clearer, unified documentation and onboarding make it easier to understand and implement the capabilities available through Pi’s developer platform.
Supporting developers is essential to expanding utility at the application level. Developers create products, services, and experiences that give Pioneers more ways to participate in the Pi ecosystem. Improving the underlying development environment helps turn Pi’s technical capabilities and ecosystem resources into applications that Pioneers can use.
As Pi’s ecosystem continues to support a wider range of applications, these developer tools and documentation improvements help reduce practical barriers to building and maintaining apps in the Pi ecosystem.