In the various new paradigms of Web3, WalletConnect is neither a hot topic nor a breakthrough, nor is it the narrative mainline. However, almost all on-chain users use it every day.
DApps allow you to 'connect wallet', and after scanning, you can sign, interact, transact, and govern. This 'scan to connect' action is the basic capability provided by WalletConnect.
Its role is very clear: a communication protocol, it does not issue tokens, control assets, or create UI; it only solves one problem — how to securely and universally connect users' wallets and Web3 applications.
1. How did it come into being?
The mainstream usage of Web3 in its early days was: desktop browser + wallet plugin (such as MetaMask). However, as mobile wallets gradually became popular, problems arose:
• Mobile wallets cannot directly inject into the web environment.
• There is no unified communication standard between DApps and wallets.
• User experience is extremely fragmented.
WalletConnect was proposed in 2018, aiming to create a neutral, secure, and highly compatible protocol layer, allowing any wallet to establish sessions, initiate requests, and receive responses with any DApp.
It is neither an app nor a service, but an open-source protocol. In the most standard terminology, it is a remote session communication mechanism.
2. What specific problems does it solve?
1. Eliminate platform restrictions
DApps no longer rely on browser plugins, and wallets are no longer limited to Chrome extensions. Users can communicate with web DApps using mobile wallets.
2. Reduce developer costs
As long as DApps and wallets integrate WalletConnect, they can interconnect without custom integration. This greatly decouples the development process.
3. User experience improvement
Scan to connect, sign to use, the process is simpler. No need to import private keys or copy addresses, enhancing both security and convenience.
4. Standardized Communication Protocol
By standardizing session, payload, and response structures, it solves the compatibility problem of 'thousands of wallets, myriad DApps'.
3. Current ecological status
WalletConnect is already the de facto standard. As of now:
• Integrated wallets: hundreds, including MetaMask Mobile, Trust Wallet, OKX Wallet, TokenPocket, etc.
• Supports DApps: including mainstream applications like Uniswap, Aave, Blur, Opensea, Galxe, Snapshot, Lido, Zora, etc.
• Protocol version: V1 has stopped service, and V2 has been widely adopted, supporting multi-chain concurrency, namespace isolation, and more complex scenarios.
In terms of market coverage and actual call volume, it has already become the core component of the connection layer on the Web3 application side, similar to axios on the frontend and RESTful on the backend, not visible to users but too fundamental to be replaced.
4. Its potential and challenges for the future
WalletConnect does not issue tokens, does not create platforms, and does not engage in narratives, so it will not have a token narrative. However, from an infrastructure perspective, its evolutionary space still exists:
• Multi-chain support has advanced further (supporting L2/AppChain parallel signing sessions).
• WalletConnect SDK has become a standard configuration for wallet/DApp development.
• Integration with systems like DID, permission control, transaction simulation, etc.
• Addressing more complex mobile scenarios, such as cross-app session persistence.
But there are also challenges:
• There are still centralization controversies regarding reliance on service node relays (relayer network).
• Some DApps have integration issues that cause experience problems (not protocol issues).
• Difficult to build long-term incentives or governance ecosystems, lacking community participation.
5. To summarize in one sentence
WalletConnect is the 'connection layer' of Web3, not the main character, but it's hard to get started without it.
It has turned the most basic function of 'wallet connection' into a universal protocol, successfully running on mobile, web, and desktop, facilitating the data flow and interaction paths between wallets and DApps.
It has no hot topics and does not create hot topics. But it supports 50% of the Web3 user experience.
A protocol that you may have never actively paid attention to is quietly supporting your almost daily on-chain operations. This is probably the true nature of Web3 infrastructure.
