Happy Pi2Day, Pioneers!
Pi Network is celebrating Pi2Day with new releases that both grow Pi’s utility within the Pi ecosystem and expand it beyond Pi’s platform to the external world. Today’s three key releases extend Pi’s services to businesses and developers outside the Pi ecosystem, while inviting them to join Pi Network and take advantage of Pi’s unique benefits and resources.
- SoloHost is an open, permissionless framework on Pi Desktop where developers can build and list apps that help run local AI and, soon, distributed computing use cases. Users can discover and run these apps on their own computers, and engage with the corresponding app through mobile devices on Pi Browser.
- Pi Sign-in enables Pioneers to use their Pi account to sign in to supported third-party websites and apps, which can benefit from Pi’s network size and verified identity resource, outside the Pi Browser. This helps expand Pi’s presence in the wider internet and third-party context, while supporting easier integrations and a smoother connection with Pi’s ecosystem.
- PiVerify makes Pi’s real-human verification capabilities available to third-party clients that need KYC and identity verification for their own users. This gives external platforms a means to mitigate fake or duplicate accounts and support compliance-related workflows, while verifying their users helps enlarge the pool of verified individuals through Pi’s KYC solution. The client also pays in Pi to use PiVerify services, which increases Pi utility.
Together, these releases advance Pi’s practical utility across compute, AI, and identity. By first providing useful services and resources for external third parties, such as Pi’s blockchain infrastructure, identity verification, and large globally engaged network, Pi offers multiple unique incentives to not only use Pi’s services but also join and contribute to Pi’s existing ecosystem.
This is especially relevant in the AI-era.
As AI continues to change how people, apps, and businesses use digital infrastructure, compute and identity are becoming more important foundations for applications that can run, scale, and serve real users. More applications need access to computing resources, people become more sensitive to personal data privacy while benefiting from AI, demand is growing for locally-run AI apps and local device connectivity, and many digital services need better ways to verify real human participation.
Alongside these product updates, the Pi2Day Ecosystem Quest invites the community to learn more about the new releases, test features, take part in a quiz, and earn an in-app badge to show off!
SoloHost Beta Released: Pi Desktop, Self-Hosted Apps, and Distributed Computing
Pi is introducing SoloHost, a new framework in Pi Desktop that enables third party developers to build and list their own apps and node utilities in an open, permissionless publisher flow. Users can discover, assess, install, and run these self-hosted apps on their own computers.
Apps suited for SoloHost generally include:
- Apps for individual use such as AI agents running locally; and
- (In Progress) Distributed computing applications that make use of available Node resources.
This release turns the existing Pi Node and Pi Desktop environment into a more practical foundation for utility creation. Instead of treating Nodes only as infrastructure that supports the Pi blockchain, this update gives Pioneers new ways to use their computers for apps, AI utilities, distributed computing, and other compute-based use cases.
By building on the existing Pi Node and Pi Desktop environment, SoloHost lowers the barriers to running self-hosted software. Instead of requiring users to manually configure servers, Docker environments, or other technical infrastructure, this product streamlines access to local applications through Pi Desktop. It also allows a Pioneer’s computer to act as their own server, so they can access supported apps running locally on their desktop from their phone, through the SoloHost app in Pi Browser.
With this setup, people can benefit from AI while keeping their data on their own devices, not having to share it with third-party remote servers.
Note that SoloHost is now live in early beta and availability will be gradually rolled out. The experience and functionality may change significantly as the product is being improved.
One app released on SoloHost is Hermes, an open-source local AI agent that runs and stores all its data on the user’s own computer. Hermes demonstrates how local AI agents can help users complete tasks, answer questions, or work with information while keeping the actual computation and data on the user’s device. Running locally can provide greater control over their data and privacy, reduce dependence on external infrastructure and cloud services for supported tasks, and enable users to benefit directly from the computing power they already own.
Distributed computing is another core component for SoloHost. As AI models, agents, and applications grow, demand for computing resources continues to increase, while much of the world’s available computing power remains scattered across individual devices. Pi’s Node network is positioned differently: it is already a large, distributed network of over 420,000 Pioneer-operated computers that can be coordinated for useful work when Node operators opt in.
By helping suitable applications access available Node resources, SoloHost can turn Pi Nodes into a practical computing layer for AI-related applications and other compute-intensive workloads, while giving Pioneers a way to benefit from and contribute directly to these new production processes through the computers they already operate.
One example is an upcoming distributed computing app that will allow the top ~100 Node operators to contribute available computing resources to complete AI tasks. This app builds on top of the previous proof-of-concept project, and further automates, scales and completes the functionalities into a real app intended to provide production-level utility for third-party clients. Participating Nodes can be compensated by the third-party clients in Pi, further demonstrating how Pi Nodes can support the utility of Pi beyond blockchain infrastructure by turning available computing capacity into a resource for real applications. This app will be released in SoloHost soon after Pi2Day.
For developers and publishers, SoloHost is designed as an open, permissionless publisher flow for Node-based utilities. Any developer with a Pi account can create a self-hosted app and submit it for listing, with structural checks on the package but no traditional pre-publish review pipeline. This makes the directory closer to an open developer platform than a curated app store to encourage participation especially from the AI builder communities. Users should assess each app or package on their own and install at their own risk.
This gives developers a new way to reach the over 420,000 Pi Node operators who are already running Pi Desktop and can run apps on their own machines, and tap into the bigger community of millions, more of whom may opt in to install Pi Desktop to benefit from useful locally-run AI agents.
- Building a locally-run AI agent or self-hosted app? Explore listing it on SoloHost so Pi Node operators and Pioneers, who have the need to run their own local AI for data privacy, can discover, download, and run it through Pi Desktop.
- Need computing power for suitable non-sensitive workloads? Pi will soon release a production use case to demonstrate the capability for developers to build a distributed computing utility that connects their workload with participating Pi Nodes.
Developers on SoloHost can also benefit from Pi’s ecosystem strengths, including distribution, identity verification through Pi KYC, Pi account logins, Pi Wallet, Pi Browser, Node setup, and Docker familiarity.
As self-hosted apps and Node-based utilities become part of the Pi Desktop and broader ecosystem experience, they also need ways to connect users, devices, publishers, and services. Apps need simple ways to authenticate Pi users, enable user’s local device connectivity, support access across ecosystem experiences, and build on trusted participation. That is where Pi Sign-in comes in.
Pi Sign-in: Connecting the Internet With Pi’s Verified Identity
Pi Sign-in allows supported third-party websites and apps to offer Pi as a sign-in or sign-up option. This is increasingly relevant as Pi expands across more apps and utilities outside of the Pi ecosystem.
For users, this means they can access supported services with their Pi account instead of creating a new account or password for every app. Depending on the experience, users may authorize access through Pi by scanning a QR code or moving from a mobile browser into Pi Browser. Any information shared from Pi to the app would require the user’s explicit consent. Today’s release is the initial version of Pi Sign-in which will be iterated and improved over time.
Why do third-party services or websites want to integrate Pi Sign-in? Pi Sign-in creates a simpler way to connect them with Pi’s large user base and bring Pi users into their own product experiences. It also gives Pi a presence in more third-party contexts while giving those services a way to tap into the additional benefits and resources of Pi Network, besides user traffic.
This is especially important with the release of SoloHost. An app may run locally on a Pioneer’s desktop but still need to support user access from another local device of theirs, such as their mobile phone, in order to remotely access and benefit from their locally-run AI agents. Pi Sign-in authenticates the other local devices through the user’s Pi account while incidentally also enabling interactions with other Pi ecosystem services such as wallets. Signing in with Pi just proves a device is yours, so only you can open the apps. Pi Sign-in helps gate that access to the correct Pi user, so a locally running AI app on a computer can still be useful and accessible through other devices besides just the computer itself, without the user having to do technical work to set up their own device network. This makes the experience of locally-run AI on par with the experience provided by third-party AI applications, without exposing personal data.
Eventually, Pi Sign-in may also help developers build experiences that draw on Pi’s broader ecosystem strengths, including its KYC-backed verified-human resources.
PiVerify: Real-Human KYC and Identity Verification for Third Parties
Pi is launching PiVerify, a KYC and identity verification service that makes Pi’s real-human verification capabilities available to third-party clients. With PiVerify, external platforms can use Pi’s existing KYC verification solution to verify their users, reduce fake or duplicate accounts, and support compliance-related identity workflows.
First introduced on Pi Network’s first Open Network anniversary, PiVerify builds on Pi’s AI + human KYC model, which has verified over 18+ million Pioneers across more than 200 countries and regions. That system combines AI automated checks with human validation to support real-human verification at a global scale. While KYC providers already exist, Pi’s approach is distinct in several ways: global geographic coverage; scalability; hybrid AI and human verification model; and the completeness of the solution—where Pi KYC addresses not just identity verification but also sanction checks for compliance, human validator workflows, cross-network comparisons, and support for different regulatory formats.
By making this infrastructure available to third parties, PiVerify extends the utility of Pi’s verified identity technology and resources beyond Pi’s own apps and services. As more services use PiVerify, the broader pool of people verified through Pi’s systems will grow beyond the 18 million KYC verified Pioneers, further strengthening the verified-human foundation behind Pi’s ecosystem. Third-party clients also pay in Pi to use PiVerify services, expanding the utility of Pi itself.
For businesses and platforms, the need is straightforward: many digital services need to know whether users are real people. Verified identities are needed for any meaningful transactions, especially in real-world economies.
Fintech platforms, exchanges, Web3 services, trust-driven apps, and AI or data platforms all face risks from fake accounts, duplicate users, fraud, spam, and Sybil abuse. PiVerify is designed to help these services add real-human verification into their onboarding, re-verification, access, participation, payments, or data workflows.
PiVerify can support identity verification services such as document checks, liveness verification, sanctions and AML screening support, and duplicate detection. These capabilities can help third-party clients improve trust and reduce abuse while giving them a flexible way to integrate with PiVerify, such as embedding the verification flow directly into their own products.
Learn more and try PiVerify for your business here.
Pi2Day Ecosystem Quest
To celebrate Pi2Day and the new features launching across the ecosystem, Pi is introducing the Pi2Day 2026 Ecosystem Quest for Pioneers.
This year’s Ecosystem Quest will guide Pioneers to complete activities that help them discover new apps, test ecosystem features, and understand how Pi’s infrastructure supports utility creation across compute, AI, and identity.
Certain steps in the Quest require completing a quiz, so remember to pay attention to the details of today’s updates! Pioneers who complete the Quest will receive an in-app special edition badge accessible in Pi Chats and Pi Social Profiles.
Participate in the Ecosystem Quest by tapping on the “Pi2Day” icon on the top right of the Pi mining app home screen. The Quest will end on July 13.
Connecting Compute, Identity, and Community Participation
Pi2Day 2026 reflects how Pi’s utility continues to grow through both infrastructure and participation. Pi Desktop and Nodes can support new local app and compute use cases; Pi Sign-in can help connect those experiences across users, devices, and services; and PiVerify can extend Pi’s real-human verification capabilities to third-party clients.
Together, these releases point to a broader direction for the ecosystem: practical utility built not only by product releases, but by the Pioneers, Node operators, developers, validators, app teams, merchants, and third-party services that use them, test them, and build on them; and Pi products are not just for the Pi ecosystem but also extending the services and Pi resources to the external world which, in turn, enriches and strengthens the Pi ecosystem.