Back in 2023, one of the hottest technical discussions in our circle was EIP-4337 account abstraction. At that time, many people had a question: when users can create and control 'smart wallets' directly with email or fingerprints, do we still need traditional EOA wallets like MetaMask? Will connectors like WalletConnect be undermined?
It is now the second half of 2025, and this question already has an answer.
The answer is: not only no, but WalletConnect's position has actually become more important and complex due to the popularity of account abstraction.
Recently, a friend of mine who just entered the space is using a popular smart wallet that supports social recovery, and the experience is smooth. He asked me, 'Look, I don't need a mnemonic phrase at all, nor do I need your QR code connection, is your method already outdated?'
I told him, quite the opposite. Your current sensation-free experience is precisely because WalletConnect has accomplished a crucial evolution behind the scenes.
In the past year, the WCT DAO voted to approve the most important proposal - the WC-4337 standard. This new standard has transformed WalletConnect from merely a tool for connecting EOA wallets to a 'meta-layer protocol' compatible with and scheduling all types of accounts (including EOA and smart accounts).
Now, when you use a smart wallet to connect to an old dApp, it is WalletConnect in the background that translates your 'intent' into an 'EOA-style signature' that the dApp can understand. And when you need to authorize your smart wallet to perform certain operations with the assets in your EOA wallet (like paying for Gas), the safest and most universal way remains to scan that familiar QR code.
Account abstraction solves the issue of the 'account' itself, but it does not resolve, and even exacerbates, the interoperability issues between 'accounts' and between 'accounts and applications.'
And WalletConnect is stuck at this critical juncture of interoperability. It has quietly upgraded from a 'connector' to the 'bus' and 'adapter' of the entire Web3 account system.
So, it has not only survived but has actually benefited the most from the expanding battlefield.
