u/Bitjoshcrypto

Protocol v25 introduced BN254 cryptography and Poseidon hashing, tools developers can use to build zero knowledge applications.

In simple terms, apps could prove something is true without exposing all the underlying data, such as proving eligibility without sharing your full identity. This does not make Pi a privacy coin. It simply gives developers stronger privacy tools to build with. Infrastructure creates possibilities. Apps create utility.

This one definitely caught my attention.

PayPal’s developer documentation now lists Pi Network (PI) among the cryptocurrencies supported through its crypto payment infrastructure.

That’s a legit milestone.

But I’m already seeing the usual crypto reaction:

“PayPal listed Pi = massive pump incoming.”

Not necessarily.

This does not automatically mean every PayPal user can suddenly buy, sell, and hold PI directly inside their normal PayPal wallet.

The more interesting part for me is distribution.

If PI becomes usable through payment infrastructure connected to a company as big as PayPal, that's another potential bridge between Pi and real world commerce.

Still, support alone isn't utility.

People actually need to use PI for payments.

So yeah, good milestone.

Just don't confuse:

Supported infrastructure... actual adoption... sustainable demand.

Those are three different stages.

What matters more to you here: the PayPal name itself, or whether people eventually start spending PI through it? tbh I'd rather be in the spending pi loop.

https://preview.redd.it/mtd93zm5bckh1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=ec0c21f97014d1d079c84b4a251b465b23036277

Pi's Ecosystem Directory ranking isn't simply:

Most downloads = highest ranking.

Pioneers and businesses can stake Pi behind apps, increasing their visibility in the ecosystem.

That's interesting because Pi becomes an economic signal for allocating attention.

But there is an obvious problem:

Stake measures conviction and capital.

It doesn't automatically measure product quality.

Pi also explicitly says there's no protocol level yield for this staking. Your Pi isn't being staked like PoS to earn network rewards.

For me, the stronger longterm ranking model would combine economic support with metrics like:

Retention + real usage + security + transaction activity.

Otherwise, capital can potentially overpower quality.

Would you rank Pi apps by stake alone? hmm...for me this is the interesting part in the mainnet ecosystem

Pi describes Directory Staking as a mechanism where Mainnet Pi can boost app visibility, while noting that the protocol itself provides no staking reward.

Starting August 24, Pi App Studio is changing its pricing.

Right now, creating or editing an app costs just 0.25 Pi because Pi has been heavily subsidizing the actual AI cost.

That changes next week.

The standard price will move closer to the real cost of the AI resources used, with no markup added by Pi.

But here's the interesting part:

Creators with apps that attract enough real, distinct users can keep the old subsidized pricing.

So instead of subsidizing everyone equally, Pi is basically saying:

Build something people actually use, and we'll help lower your development cost.

I actually like the incentive structure.

It discourages endless AI-generated test apps and pushes creators toward:

Build... get users... improve... retain users... earn subsidy

Of course, user count alone doesn't prove an app is good. People can still game distribution, and Pi hasn't published every future qualification rule yet.

But the direction makes sense.

The subsidy is moving from “you created something” to “you created something people use.”

That's a much healthier metric.

If you're building with App Studio, what matters more now: shipping more apps or making one app people actually come back to?

Starting August 24, Pi App Studio is changing its pricing.

Right now, creating or editing an app costs just 0.25 Pi because Pi has been heavily subsidizing the actual AI cost.

That changes next week.

The standard price will move closer to the real cost of the AI resources used, with no markup added by Pi.

But here's the interesting part:

Creators with apps that attract enough real, distinct users can keep the old subsidized pricing.

So instead of subsidizing everyone equally, Pi is basically saying:

Build something people actually use, and we'll help lower your development cost.

I actually like the incentive structure.

It discourages endless AI-generated test apps and pushes creators toward:

Build... get users... improve... retain users... earn subsidy

Of course, user count alone doesn't prove an app is good. People can still game distribution, and Pi hasn't published every future qualification rule yet.

But the direction makes sense.

The subsidy is moving from “you created something” to “you created something people use.”

That's a much healthier metric.

If you're building with App Studio, what matters more now: shipping more apps or making one app people actually come back to?

People usually want flashy blockchain upgrades.

But one underrated change in Node 0.6.2 is automatic port configuration through UPnP plus a new port checker.

Why does that matter?

Because infrastructure nobody can configure doesn't scale.

Pi is trying to make local apps and Node connectivity less dependent on users manually touching router settings. The update also lets developers run unlisted SoloHost apps, giving them a staging layer before public listing.

That's basic developer infrastructure, not a price catalyst.

But reducing setup friction is exactly how technical products become usable by nontechnical people.

The interesting metric now isn't downloads. It's how many Nodes become reliably reachable.

Would easier Node setup make you more likely to actually run one?

Pi released Node 0.6.2 on August 14 with UPnP, a new port checker, unlisted SoloHost app support, and additional appstate tooling.

Heads up, Pioneers.

The StepnPi wallet page is reportedly asking users to enter their Pi Wallet passphrase.

Whatever the reason, I would not enter it.

Your passphrase is effectively the key to your wallet. Once someone has it, you should assume they can access and move your. There is no customer support reset button for a compromised non-custodial wallet.

Simple rule:

If a third party Pi app asks for your wallet passphrase, stop. Verify everything first.

Don't let an app's Pi branding, interface, or promises override basic wallet security.

If anyone here uses StepnPi, have you seen the same passphrase request?

Please share this with other Pioneers. One warning could save someone's wallet.

https://preview.redd.it/0t77s2pcxxjh1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=f32c20f48f64eee87a9dbdd07abb456e86d8b93f

Sometimes we focus too much on numbers.

More apps.
More merchants.
More users.
More transactions.

But honestly, those numbers don't mean much if people only try something once and never come back.

For me, the bigger question is simple:

Would people actually spend Pi again because the app is useful?

Pi has always pushed the idea of building a utility based ecosystem, not just a coin people hold and wait to pump.

I'd rather see:

100 useful apps people keep using

than

10,000 apps nobody cares about.

Real utility is basically:

Useful app.... people return... people spend Pi... demand repeats.

That's the part I'm watching.

What kind of app would actually make you spend Pi every month?

Pi says SoloHost can potentially reach 420,000+ Pi Node operators, while 110 community apps had already been deployed during its early Beta.

Today, SoloHost focuses on locally run apps and AI, with distributed computing described as a future use case.

From a dev perspective, I'd watch what comes next:

Resource allocation.
Workload isolation.
Uptime.
Payments.
Compute verification.

420K machines is distribution.

TBH Turning them into reliable compute infrastructure is the harder engineering problem.

More than 2.56 million Pioneers reportedly started the Pi2Day Ecosystem Quest, with over 1.78 million completing every step.

Those are meaningful participation numbers.

But for anyone looking at Pi from a product perspective, the next metric matters more:

Retention.

How many users returned to SoloHost, ecosystem apps or other utilities after the rewards and Quest mechanics ended?

Acquisition tells you people were willing to try something.

Completion tells you the funnel worked.

Retention tells you whether the product was actually useful.

That’s the number I’d like Pi to publish next.

August 11 is the upgrade deadline for Pi Mainnet Node operators who want to remain compatible with the network.

This kind of work rarely gets the attention that exchange listings or price movements receive, but protocol coordination matters.

Nodes need compatible software. Developers need predictable infrastructure. The network needs upgrades to propagate without fragmenting participants.

Protocol v26 itself doesn’t create demand for Pi.

What it does is improve the technical foundation on which future applications and protocol features can operate.

Infrastructure creates capability. Products still have to create demand.

I’m going to say this clearly:

A community cannot declare 1 Pi = $314,159 and magically create that purchasing power.

Pi’s own economic model talks about utility, transactions, liquidity, supply and an ecosystem of goods and services. It does not establish GCV as an official fixed valuation.

From a market perspective:

Price requires buyers + sellers + liquidity + actual demand.

A screenshot, Telegram group, “consensus,” or merchant claiming an imaginary valuation does not create real market depth.

The dangerous part is when GCV gets used to convince Pioneers to:

• send Pi first
• reveal wallet passphrases
• pay “activation” fees
• buy fake certificates
• trust unofficial exchanges or payment schemes

You can believe Pi has long-term potential without believing mathematically unsupported price claims.

Utility is measurable. Liquidity is measurable. Transactions are measurable. GCV is a belief until a real market can consistently support it.

That distinction can save people a lot of Pi.

Pioneers, what matters MORE after Protocol 26?

A. Protocol 27
B. Mainnet DEX/AMM
C. Launchpad
D. More useful apps
E. More real payment integrations

You can only pick one.

I want to see what the community actually considers the next major milestone. #PiNetwork

Pi Network is entering the robot economy.

Pi has joined RoboPay as a payment partner, meaning Pi is intended to pay for robot services across the Fabric network.

This is bigger than “another partnership.”

The real test: will people actually use it? #PiNetwork

App Studio’s new backend support lets newly created apps save goals, scores, notes and progress across sessions.

This is not flashy.

But usable apps need memory.

Third-party businesses can use Pi’s identity verification service and pay in Pi.

That does not guarantee adoption.

But it creates a possible demand source tied to service usage, not speculation.

On Testnet, SLICE already has a liquidity pool, AMM swaps and live price tracking.

Important: it is not Mainnet, and SLICE will never migrate.

Testing proves direction.

It does not prove completion.

The biggest risk to Pi Network is not a low price.

It is millions of users opening Pi Browser and finding nothing valuable enough to use repeatedly.

Price can recover.
Lost attention is harder to rebuild.
Developers matter now.

On Testnet, SLICE already has a liquidity pool, AMM swaps and live price tracking.

Important: it is not Mainnet, and SLICE will never migrate.

Testing proves direction.

It does not prove completion.

A. DEX and AMM
B. Token Launchpad
C. More useful apps
D. Merchant tools
E. Faster migrations

Choose one and explain why.

Your answer reveals what you think creates real demand.