DApp store for your wallet: Consensys readying cross-chain Metamask Snaps

Consensys head of strategy Simon Morris said the eagerly-awaited MetaMask Snaps will allow users to interact with non-EVM chains like Bitcoin and Solana as well as gain further transparency into the transactions they confirm.
Tom Mitchelhill
Posted by Tom Mitchelhill September 6, 2023 2 Mins Read
Consensys head of strategy Simon Morris said the eagerly-awaited MetaMask Snaps will allow users to interact with non-EVM chains like Bitcoin and Solana as well as gain further transparency into the transactions they confirm.

MetaMask’s eagerly awaited Snaps will allow users to interact with a variety of different blockchain networks, receive updates from projects and will help demystify what’s happening in complex transactions, says Consensys head of strategy Simon Morris.

Speaking to Cointelegraph on Sept. 6 at Korea Blockchain Week, Morris shared that MetaMask Snaps will function a lot like an Apple App Store for the crypto wallet, allowing third-party developers to launch new decentralized applications (DApps) — dubbed Snaps — that expand MetaMask’s functionality.

Morris explained the first round of released Snaps will undergo security checks and be whitelisted by developers at Consensys. In the future, the goal is to make the process as permissionless as releasing apps on the web.

The upgrade — which Morris said is coming sometime later this year — will see users download third-party extensions to their MetaMask wallet.

These will allow them to use their MetaMask wallet with non-EVM chains including Bitcoin, Solana, Avalanche and Starknet.

“MetaMask starts with a massive assumption there's going to be an EVM or something very like Ethereum, so what we’re targeting for the first release is making MetaMask interoperable with other non-EVM chains.”

Snaps will also help to reduce the obscurity around signing transactions. Morris admitted at present, users are oftentimes left feeling confused or intimidated when confirming transactions and hinted that some of the soon-to-be-released Snaps will help make the process of signing transactions and assessing smart contracts less opaque at first glance.

Another feature set to be enabled by Snaps will allow developers to send messages to users internally on MetaMask.

Related: ‘Multichain future is very clear’ — MetaMask to support all tokens via Snaps

Instead of users having to navigate to the website or social media account of a project for updates — the upgrades will enable a “communication layer between DApp developers and their users.”

For those wanting a taste of Snaps, Morris said users can download an application called MetaMask Flask but warned that it’s very much a tool for developers.

On Sept. 5 MetaMask introduced its newest “sell” feature, allowing users in the United States, United Kingdom and parts of Europe to exchange Ether (ETH) for fiat currency that can be sent directly to a bank account.

Magazine: How to protect your crypto in a volatile market — Bitcoin OGs and experts weigh in

Tags: