Jan 21, 2020

At Orchid, we’re committed to growing the privacy network so anyone, anywhere can access the Orchid VPN. That’s why we’re excited to announce an improvement to our user interface that simplifies our users’ first steps to get Orchid up and running.

Orchid is a unique VPN because it requires an Orchid account funded with our digital currency--OXT. VPN service in the app is purchased with OXT from the connected account, and you pay only for what you use. While this model doesn’t give users unlimited service, we do offer something else -- unlimited devices! There is no limit to the number of devices or people that you can share your account with.

And creating and sharing Orchid accounts just got a lot easier, thanks to our new QR code sharing and scanning feature.

If you’re a new user, read on. If you already have an Orchid account, feel free to skip ahead to the “Existing Users” heading.

New Users

Before this update, the only way to create an account was to copy your Ethereum wallet address into the app, copy the app’s signing key into the dapp interface, and then create an account.

Now, account creation is more streamlined: As soon as your dapp browser detects you have enough OXT (you can get it on Coinbase) and ETH in your wallet, you can create an account. You need at least $4 worth of OXT and $1 in ETH to get started, which gives you an estimated 60 gigabytes of VPN service. Once the account is created, a shareable QR code appears that contains your account credentials. Anyone can copy or scan that account into the app for a 1-step setup.

Existing Users

Existing users also reap the benefits of the QR code functionality: You can now share your account with all your devices and your friends easily. If you already have an account set up, you can simply share the QR code to spend OXT from that account. The newly added device will withdraw from the shared account’s wallet for VPN service.

What’s Next?

Over the coming months, Orchid will release updates that make it easier for anyone, regardless of their technical skill and knowledge, to join the network and control their privacy in a new way.

Get Started

We’ve created a step-by-step guide for the new sign-in process for our app here.