Dubbed “WeChat for Ethereum”, the Status mobile app is improving the accessibility of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency payments.

The Status project as a whole is also working on a number of initiatives that will create a thriving ecosystem for developers building Web 3.0 infrastructure. In this article, we explore the current and future use cases for SNT, the native currency of the Status mobile app.

ENS Address Registration with SNT

Hexidecimal addresses have long created a significant barrier to adoption of crypto payments. Whenever sending crypto, it always seems necessary to triple check that you copy/paste the correct ‘0x4cbe58c50480…’ address. In contrast, fiat payment gateways like Venmo (username) and PayPal (email address) use much simpler ways to indicate the recipient accounts.

The first use case for Status is the ability to create an Ethereum Name Service (ENS) address at ‘stateofus.eth’. By locking 10 SNT into a smart contract, it’s easy to turn a hexadecimal address into a username that people can actually read and remember. By registering via the Status mobile app, you can hold on to an ENS address for a period of one year. After that, you have the option to release the ENS and get your 10 SNT back or renew for another year. This concept is kind of similar to the registration process for a traditional website domain name.

The cool thing about the ‘stateofus.eth’ domain is that a lot of popular subdomain names are still available. As you can see from the third image below, I was able to turn a long address into a short one called ‘future.stateofus.eth’. Additionally, the shortened address is recognizable far beyond the Status mobile app. For example, I typed ‘future.stateofus.eth’ into my MetaMask wallet, and it auto-generated the long-form hexadecimal address. Mist, My Crypto, My Ether Wallet, and several other wallets also support ENS.