Popular Ethereum DApp Metamask to Release Mobile Client

The existing MetaMask extension runs on Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Brave browsers. In October 2018, Google's app store showed 1,053,391 active users. Users chose MetaMask because they controlled their own private keys and managed their funds without intermediaries. The plugin handled requests from decentralized applications and transferred Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens. It also blocked phishing attempts by identifying compromised services that stole private keys.

Users could interact with blockchain applications only from a desktop web browser. MetaMask's mobile app eliminated that constraint. ConsenSys also released privacy improvements for the desktop extension, preventing websites from accessing user account addresses.

Fabian Vogelsteller, the ERC-20 co-author and creator of the Mist browser, introduced a funding model called the "reversible ICO" on October 30. Investors in token sales under this model could return their tokens and receive refunds, addressing the risks of fraud and mismanagement in the ICO market.

Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum's co-founder, presented the roadmap for Ethereum 2.0, which he called "Serenity." He described it as "a combination of a bunch of different features" that his team had been researching for several years. The synthesis of this research "is finally about to come together in one cohesive whole," according to Buterin. He would not specify when the network would launch, saying only that it was "really not so far away."