Say GM with messaging on Coinbase Wallet

At Coinbase, we're committed to building towards a future where people spend more time onchain, using blockchains and decentralized applications to interact and transact with confidence and freedom. Over the past five years, we've developed Coinbase Wallet as a user-friendly, secure self-custody experience beyond buying, selling, and holding, such as collecting NFTs, earning crypto rewards, and participating in play-to-earn gaming.

Today, we’re announcing a new way to engage with the crypto community with built-in messaging on Coinbase Wallet powered by the XMTP protocol. Messaging on Coinbase Wallet is end-to-end encrypted, private, and portable. It allows you to connect directly through your wallet, engage with your communities, send payments across thousands of coins (including gas-free USDC), and take your conversations across any other XMTP compatible app—giving you full control and ownership over your identity and chats. We’re enabling messaging first for a small subset of our users, including all Lens protocol users and anyone who scans this QR code.

Taking functionality, security, and freedom to the next level

Messaging on Coinbase Wallet addresses a set of challenges you may have encountered, such as accidentally sending crypto to the wrong address, someone claiming ownership of an .eth username they do not possess, or fake online profiles on social media platforms. To tackle these problems and provide a seamless and secure user experience, Coinbase Wallet has integrated with XMTP, an open protocol and network for secure web3 messaging, enabling fully encrypted, decentralized, wallet-to-wallet messaging. 

• All in one messaging + payments: No more juggling separate apps for payments and messaging. Messaging on Coinbase Wallet streamlines communication by enabling direct messaging to any .eth, .cb.id, or .lens address. Now you can make real connections, make offers on NFTs, and pay others directly.

• Transact with confidence, for the first time and every time. Gone are the days when you had to send a small balance to confirm a wallet address. No more guessing if a person’s social profile matches their wallet. Eliminate unnecessary risk and potential losses with the help of messaging.

• Own your chats. You can now take your messaging data and chats with you because they’re tied to your wallet address and not a single company. You can take your chats to any other XMTP compatible app at any time. Your chats will transfer automatically, so you can focus on connecting.

Getting started with messaging on Coinbase Wallet

To get started, you’ll need the Coinbase Wallet mobile app and a .lens account, or receive an invitation via QR code. Once you’ve downloaded or imported your wallet, you’ll find your inbox located on the ‘Assets’ tab in the Coinbase Wallet app. 

• Connect and invite others: Easily connect with others by sharing your personal QR code or finding new connections through search. You can message anyone with .eth, .cb.id, or .lens addresses, or connect with other holders of the same POAP via token-gated messaging. If you’ve used other social or Lens apps, such as Orb or Lenster, all your chats will be automatically available in Coinbase Wallet. To find your personal QR code, navigate to the 'Assets' page and tap the QR code symbol in the upper right corner.

• Block the noise: Take control of who you connect with by approving or blocking incoming messages within your inbox. Additionally, you can check the wallet profile of other users to gather more information about them before deciding to connect.

• Effortless crypto payments: With messaging, you can pay others using any crypto asset supported by Coinbase Wallet. You can also now send USDC on Polygon without incurring any gas fees. Simply start a chat, select the "+" symbol to specify the amount of USDC you want to send along with the network, then confirm the transaction—all within messaging.

Making it easier to get started in web3

We've made significant progress over the past year on both our Coinbase Wallet mobile app and browser extension to help people of all experience levels—from beginners to crypto veterans—explore the world of web3. And we’ve helped millions of people claim their cb.id, a free web3 username powered by the Ethereum Name Service (ENS), that makes it easier for others to locate, remember, and send funds to your wallet through your username instead of a lengthy wallet address. Messaging builds upon these existing offerings and allows people to connect in a permissionless way to build and join communities with all the benefits of self custody. 

We’ll continue building towards a future where convenience, security, and anonymity can coexist harmoniously, transforming the way we engage with others. Follow us on Twitter for the latest Coinbase Wallet news and product updates.

Interested in getting started with self-custody? Download the Coinbase Wallet mobile app and browser extension today.

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The information above is provided for general educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute investment or other advice on financial products. Recipients should consult their advisors before making any investment decision. Certain links that may be provided in the materials are provided for convenience and do not imply Coinbase’s endorsement, or approval of any third-party websites or their content.