Status is a project I have largely ignored since ICO, mainly because the initial focus was on decentralised messaging. Their mainnet launch on the 1st June prompted me to take another look at the project – and I’m glad I did.

What is Status?

Status labelled itself at ICO as “an open source messaging platform and mobile interface to interact with decentralised applications.” Revisiting their website today the focus has shifted away from messaging and towards Status (an app available on both iOS and Android) as a gateway to the Ethereum ecosystem. In doing so, it competes with the likes of Toshi and Trust, two other DApp browsers.

DApps take a lot of effort at present to use. Even as someone reasonably involved in the space I sometimes struggle to muster the enthusiasm to load up my laptop, plug in my ledger/log into MetaMask and subsequently use a DApp such as Ethorse, AirSwap or any other part of crypto. We live in a mobile-first world. Ethereum can never achieve mass adoption without catering to phones.

Status solves this problem by allowing DApps to run on iOS/Android through the Status app. It acts as an OS for Ethereum based apps, with the likes of AirSwap, Kyber Network, Oasis DEX, CryptoKitties, PeepEth, Ethlance, and NameBazaar currently available.

Status also integrates a wallet which can store ETH and ERC20 tokens. Add that to the capability to trade on the likes of AirSwap and Kyber, and you have a very viable solution to trading from the comfort of your phone. You can also send and receive ETH/ERC20 tokens and discover other users in the nearby area offering their services for crypto.

How does Status work?

Status is very simple to use. As it is still in Alpha at present you have to either:

iOS users: Download the TestFlight app and sign up for access here

Download the TestFlight app and sign up for access here Android: Download Status from the PlayStore

Once you have downloaded the app, then you will have to set up an account by inputting a desired name. Before going further you should navigate to settings and back up your seed phrase. This will allow you to restore your account in the event of losing access to your phone. Then enable the ‘Advanced’ options under settings and change your network from Ropsten (a test network) to the mainnet. This affords you access to the proper versions of DApps, as well as being able to send and receive real ETH. One tip – set up an easy to remember password as you will find yourself entering it a lot (every time you want to open a DApp for the first time or sign a transaction). The below sets out the steps to setting up your account and enabling mainnet.