Status Messenger – An Ethereum Project
One project I’ve been interested in is the Status Messenger project. In this post, I’ll cover what Status is, what the Status Messenger project has been up to and why I’m interested in how they are approaching the cryptocurrency industry.
What is Status Messenger?
Status is an easy and simple way to access and interact with the ethereum network. The team states that it is “the power of ethereum in your pocket”.
While we may automatically refer to it as a messenger product, the application is so much more. While messaging may provide a simple and easy entry point, users have access to peer-to-peer messenger functionalities, a decentralized ethereum wallet, and a Web3browser allowing them to browse and tap into a host of other ETH ecosystem applications.
The project has the potential to pack a punch and provide significant value to first time and regular cryptocurrency users alike.
Status Messenger Mobile Progress
The Status team has made significant progress since its initial coin offering.
The Status messenger application is available for download through Android and iOS and provides a good user experience. Features in the status messenger include private, public and group chats. One fun feature is sending ETH directly through your messaging and chats.
The product uses the Whisper protocol and should be private (a feature that should provide significant value in an increasingly privacy invasive world).
To sum up the Status Messenger mobile aspect, it allows for a variety of channels for communication, sending value, and integrates privacy as a fundamental product value.
The Status Messenger for Desktop
Status Messenger also comes with a Windows and Mac Status Desktop offering.
I’ve just recently installed the Status Desktop product and found that it is still an “early alpha release focused on chat” product and still has a long road ahead in being a comprehensive product.
As such, users may not want to use the product with caution.
Status Messenger Overall Review
I’ve tested the Status Messenger app on android in public chats and private chats. I had a positive experience. Public chats need more people and might need more refinement in types of groups and quality of conversations but adoption does seem to be present.
I’m an on and off again user with the Status messenger application, I think this is because of the small frictions within the application. Status does not save your password if it thinks your device doesn’t have the right security features, so that means you’ll have to remember the password to login every single time (you’re sacrificing convenience for privacy and security).
At moment, the app doesn’t pull be back in like Telegram, Twitter, Facebook or other applications. With Status, it seems, privacy is prioritized, while that may cause initial friction, it is also its key value.
This application may not be your main go-to messaging platform as this platform may not have your family, friends and other people present already. I think Status could serve as the side application or the secondary application for privacy oriented users.
This brings me to the Status Principles as mentioned in their latest town hall.
Status Principles
These principles are liberty, censorship resistance, security, privacy, transparency, openness, decentralization, inclusivity, continuance and resourcefulness.
All of these are principles one would expect from Web3 and decentralized projects.
Finally, according to a Status team member, Status V1 is coming soon.
Current Status accounts will be removed and a new and improved version will be available for users. Make sure to remove all assets and be certain.
