The new Pi Browser update revitalizes the user interface, creating a cleaner and more informative user experience for more Pioneers to engage with Pi apps and navigate the Pi ecosystem. This, in turn, also helps encourage further apps and utilities development onto the Pi ecosystem—an important Open Network goal.
Such improvements are important because the Pi Browser is the main interface for Pioneers to interact with the entire ecosystem. Not only does the new look improve navigation throughout the ecosystem such as Core Team apps (for example, KYC and Pi Wallets) and community apps in the Ecosystem UI, but also provides more information for Pioneers to improve the security of their experience.
Specifically, the interface of the Browser itself (that can’t be modified by any specific Pi app or website) will indicate if the current page is a Core Team app, ecosystem listed app, verified, unverified, or unaffiliated Pi app or a random website. This helps improve overall security of user experience because Pioneers will have easy visual cues and indicators in the interface to assess on their own how much they can trust the current page they’re visiting.
For example, if a scammer creates a fake “Pi Wallet” that tries to phish Pioneers’ wallet secret passphrase, they won’t be able to modify the app URL or the associated UI of the Browser that the official Pi Wallet will have. Therefore, Pioneers should refrain from entering their passphrase on this fake wallet. Similar effects on sensitivity to different websites’ security are also provided by other differences in the browser’s URL and associated browser-level interfaces for verified and unverified Pi apps or generic websites.
As our network moves towards Open Network with more and more Pioneers migrating to the Mainnet and actively using their Pi in the ecosystem, it is important to improve the Pi Browser to provide a safer and more friendly user experience. The overall Pi Network vision––to create a human-centric, universally accessible Web3 which empowers people to utilize the power of cryptocurrency in their daily lives—requires this design overhaul for a better Web3 experience on the Pi Browser, and we’re so excited to see what Pioneers think.
Pioneer-Focused Design
The latest UI improvement both elevates the user experience as a general browser and strengthens the connection of our community within Pi Network.
This update specifically includes:
- A more vibrant and intuitive apps dashboard, enriched with updated icons and new app dropdown descriptions to help guide new and existing Pioneers through a rich and interconnected ecosystem.
- Recently visited sites are now viewable from the navigation page (tap upper right dropdown on the home page).
- The previous gray bar at the top of each Pi SDK-connected app has now been removed, giving more space to developers and Pioneers. Instead, different logos and visual indicators are also now visible around the URL of sites, depending on if the app is from the Core Team, developer-created (verified or unverified), or unaffiliated.
- New UI in the Browser allows Pioneers to easily share any page of a Pi app or within the Pi ecosystem to the outside world. A new ‘Share’ button is now placed in a dropdown next to a “Home” button. This allows Pioneers to effortlessly share their favorite apps or posts with friends and social media anywhere online, fostering connection and collaboration within and outside the Pi ecosystem. An update in the near future will change all Pi Browser URLs to pinet.com domains, so all Pi Browser pages can then be shared with anyone in the world.
The new Pi Browser update revitalizes the user interface, creating a cleaner and more informative user experience for more Pioneers to engage with Pi apps and navigate the Pi ecosystem. This, in turn, also helps encourage further apps and utilities development onto the Pi ecosystem—an important Open Network goal.
Such improvements are important because the Pi Browser is the main interface for Pioneers to interact with the entire ecosystem. Not only does the new look improve navigation throughout the ecosystem such as Core Team apps (for example, KYC and Pi Wallets) and community apps in the Ecosystem UI, but also provides more information for Pioneers to improve the security of their experience.
Specifically, the interface of the Browser itself (that can’t be modified by any specific Pi app or website) will indicate if the current page is a Core Team app, ecosystem listed app, verified, unverified, or unaffiliated Pi app or a random website. This helps improve overall security of user experience because Pioneers will have easy visual cues and indicators in the interface to assess on their own how much they can trust the current page they’re visiting.
For example, if a scammer creates a fake “Pi Wallet” that tries to phish Pioneers’ wallet secret passphrase, they won’t be able to modify the app URL or the associated UI of the Browser that the official Pi Wallet will have. Therefore, Pioneers should refrain from entering their passphrase on this fake wallet. Similar effects on sensitivity to different websites’ security are also provided by other differences in the browser’s URL and associated browser-level interfaces for verified and unverified Pi apps or generic websites.
As our network moves towards Open Network with more and more Pioneers migrating to the Mainnet and actively using their Pi in the ecosystem, it is important to improve the Pi Browser to provide a safer and more friendly user experience. The overall Pi Network vision––to create a human-centric, universally accessible Web3 which empowers people to utilize the power of cryptocurrency in their daily lives—requires this design overhaul for a better Web3 experience on the Pi Browser, and we’re so excited to see what Pioneers think.
Pioneer-Focused Design
The latest UI improvement both elevates the user experience as a general browser and strengthens the connection of our community within Pi Network.
This update specifically includes:
- A more vibrant and intuitive apps dashboard, enriched with updated icons and new app dropdown descriptions to help guide new and existing Pioneers through a rich and interconnected ecosystem.
- Recently visited sites are now viewable from the navigation page (tap upper right dropdown on the home page).
- The previous gray bar at the top of each Pi SDK-connected app has now been removed, giving more space to developers and Pioneers. Instead, different logos and visual indicators are also now visible around the URL of sites, depending on if the app is from the Core Team, developer-created (verified or unverified), or unaffiliated.
- New UI in the Browser allows Pioneers to easily share any page of a Pi app or within the Pi ecosystem to the outside world. A new ‘Share’ button is now placed in a dropdown next to a “Home” button. This allows Pioneers to effortlessly share their favorite apps or posts with friends and social media anywhere online, fostering connection and collaboration within and outside the Pi ecosystem. An update in the near future will change all Pi Browser URLs to pinet.com domains, so all Pi Browser pages can then be shared with anyone in the world.
Implications for Developers in the Pi Ecosystem
The recent UI overhaul is not just a leap forward for user experience but also a significant milestone for developers within the Pi Network ecosystem.
The ever-expanding use cases and now improved UI in the Pi ecosystem offer even more incentives and ease for our growing audience to engage and interact with Pi community developers’ apps, thereby presenting an unprecedented opportunity for developers to reach Pi Network’s 47+ million Engaged Pioneers. This is a particularly large opportunity as we gear up for the Open Network period of Mainnet, where the strength and utility of the network is paramount.
Here are some highlights for why developers should build great apps on the Pi Browser:
- Salience and access: As you build utility-based apps that solve real needs of Pioneers and follow the ecosystem guidelines, your app can advance in different statuses, e.g. verified and unverified but listed, thus being presented to Pioneers in different browser UI with different salience and receiving different level of user attention and interest.
- Grow with the Community: By developing on the Pi ecosystem, you become an integral part of an enormous community of 47+ million Engaged Pioneers.
- Shareability and growth: A new share feature is added now that allows better integration with PiNet soon. This will soon enable Pioneers to share Pi app content to the open internet, bringing more users outside of the Pi community to your app. If your app presents a stellar experience, be it a hilarious post, an intriguing game or a useful service that spurs Pioneers to share on their own social media outside of Pi, your app will receive extra exposure and user visits outside of Pi.
For general developer resources, Learn more about why building on Pi is right for you. Or, if you’re not a developer, see how you can be rewarded 1000 Pi to invite other developers onto the network.
Looking Forward
This Pi Browser UI overhaul is an important step towards achieving both Pi’s Web3 vision and the Open Network goals. These new features are designed to enrich Pioneers’ interactions within the Pi ecosystem, improve transparency of Pi apps for Pioneers to assess security, and make their Pi ecosystem experience more connected with the open web. As we push forward towards creating a decentralized and inclusive digital ecosystem, your active participation and feedback are more important than ever.