Have you ever wondered why clicking 'connect wallet' when opening a DeFi DApp can instantly connect to MetaMask, Trust Wallet, or even Ledger? Why can you use the same wallet on an NFT market in Solana after signing in a wallet on Ethereum? — Behind this lies a protocol like 'Web3 Bluetooth': WalletConnect.
It doesn't have a prominent app icon like a wallet, nor a fancy interface like a DApp, but it quietly supports over 600 wallets, 65,000 applications, and 475 million users in 300 million connections. In simple terms, it enables 'devices' (wallets and DApps) in Web3 to 'automatically pair' without leaking privacy.
🤯 How difficult is it for Web3 users without WalletConnect?
Imagine the scene before 2018:
You want to transfer money on the DApp, but you have to manually copy the wallet address — mistyping just one letter could cause your assets to 'vanish';
Switching wallets? For example, switching from imToken to Coinbase Wallet requires you to manually bind each DApp again, just like 'when changing phones, you need to reconnect all Bluetooth devices and enter passwords';
Cross-chain operations are more troublesome: authorizations signed in Ethereum DApps don't recognize in Polygon applications, needing to be redone, with transaction confirmations consuming 10 minutes ⏳.
This is the core issue WalletConnect aims to solve: not inventing new wallets or new DApps, but creating a universal language that allows them to 'communicate effectively'.
🔗 The 'pairing magic' of WalletConnect: safer than Bluetooth, more flexible than USB
If we compare wallets to 'phones' and DApps to 'headphones', then WalletConnect is the 'encrypted Bluetooth protocol', but its connection logic is more ingenious:
'Scan to connect' encrypted communication
When you generate a WalletConnect QR code on a DApp, it's actually the wallet and DApp exchanging a 'one-time encrypted key' — just like 'two people meeting and passing a note with a code only they can understand'. After connecting, all operations (transfers, signatures, authorizations) are transmitted encrypted through this key, so even if intercepted by hackers, the content remains unreadable 🔐.
Universal interface for all chains
Bluetooth can only connect specific devices, while WalletConnect allows Ethereum wallets to connect to Solana DApps, and Polygon wallets to connect to Aptos applications — because it is not bound by the rules of any one chain, like 'a universal adapter that can plug into USB, Type-C, or Lightning', it can adapt to any chain's 'interface' 🛠.
Not afraid of disconnection with the 'memory function'
Just like headphones that connect automatically the next time you turn them on — the DApps you’ve connected with WalletConnect will be automatically recognized by your wallet when you open them next (unless you manually disconnect), eliminating the need for repeated scanning while maintaining encrypted status, ensuring both security and convenience ✨
💎 WCT token: not just 'protocol fuel', but also 'optimizer for connection experience'
As the native token on Optimism and Solana, the role of WCT lies in 'making connections smoother':
Developers who want to add new features to the protocol (like supporting a niche wallet) can stake WCT to initiate a proposal; once the community votes it through, it can be advanced — equivalent to 'users and developers upgrading the Bluetooth protocol together';
Nodes wanting to provide computing power for WalletConnect's relay service (to ensure a stable connection)? Staking WCT can earn rewards, incentivizing more nodes to join and preventing stalling on 300 million connections;
In the future, WCT might be used to pay for 'premium connection services' (like cross-chain batch signature acceleration), providing a smoother experience for high-frequency users.
📈 Why is it called a 'foundational invention' of Web3?
For users: it transforms 'using a wallet' from 'a technical task' to 'just scan', among 47.5 million users, perhaps 90% are unaware that it’s helping them;
For ecosystems: 65,000 DApps no longer need to develop wallet adaptation features separately, saving time to create 10 more innovative functions;
For the future: as Web3 expands into the metaverse and off-chain assets, WalletConnect’s 'cross-scenario universal connection protocol' will become key to bridging the virtual and real worlds — for instance, your wallet connects to a metaverse land DApp while also linking to an on-site merchant's on-chain payment system, all thanks to it encrypting and synchronizing 🚀.
From 'frequent hiccups' to 'one code connects all', WalletConnect proves that Web3's progress often lies in those 'invisible yet indispensable' infrastructures. And the WCT token is the 'upgrade key' for the continuous evolution of this infrastructure.#WalletConnect
