MetaMask’s Blockchain Mobile App Opens Doors For Next-Level Web
- MetaMask has since 2016 only been available as a web extension
- Ethereum offers Web 3 users more data control and privacy
A coin representing Ethereum cryptocurrency sits reflected on a polished surface and photographed against a computer circuit board.
Photographer: Luke MacGregor/BloombergWhile the Ethereum blockchain has exploded into a $53 billion market, its promise of allowing greater user privacy and control on the World Wide Web has been slower to materialize. That could begin to change this week as a mobile version of the MetaMask wallet is made public through the app stores owned by Apple Inc. and Google.
MetaMask, founded in 2016, has so far been a browser extension that allows people to connect their cryptocurrency wallets to websites that require access to the Ethereum network. Its new mobile version will allow users to limit the information and payment methods they share with websites. For example, rather than providing a checking account number every time, a user could create different Ethereum accounts to use at various sites to cut down on tracking, said Dan Finlay, a MetaMask lead developer.