The Ice Network continues rolling out updates and forging new partnerships as the Online+ launch rapidly approaches. Here’s the latest from the team.
The Ice Open Network (ION) is closing in on the full launch of Online+, with developers actively refining the platform during its beta phase. In the newest Online+ Beta Bulletin, Product Lead Yuliia shared a fresh batch of features, fixes, and strategic collaborations designed to solidify Online+ as a top-tier decentralized social media experience.
Among the highlights are integrations with AdPod, XDB Chain, and LetsExchange, as well as performance tweaks like smart pagination and added GIF functionality. These developments are driving Online+ toward a major impact on both Web3 social networks and the DeFi space.
Consistent Progress, Even During the Holidays
Despite a reduced work schedule due to the Easter holiday, the ION team kept up momentum with improvements across major Online+ components: Wallet, Chat, and Feed.
Yuliia remarked, “Even with the short week, the team didn’t miss a beat. Everyone stayed focused and committed, which really showcased our agility and drive. I was genuinely proud of how much we accomplished heading into the break.”
The latest updates were centered around enhancing user experience and stability. These included streamlined QR code interactions in the Wallet, the addition of message replies from Stories in Chat, and a new “Not interested” option in the Feed to help users fine-tune their content experience. Support for GIF uploads and automatic conversion of images to the .webp format were also introduced to improve mobile performance.
Feature Enhancements and Bug Fix Round-Up
The recent bulletin delivered a comprehensive list of new features and resolved issues, all aimed at perfecting the app ahead of its official debut:
- Wallet: Redesigned QR code interactions and fixes for Cardano transaction balance inaccuracies.
- Chat: Added reply-from-Stories support and fixed problems with displaying deep search results.
- Feed: Enabled fallback thumbnails for unavailable media, introduced GIF compatibility, and corrected full-screen video scaling issues.
- Profile: Enhanced responsiveness for Follower/Following lists and eliminated bugs with empty follower info and web field spacing.
- Performance: Implemented smart pagination to speed up message and activity load times, increasing app fluidity.
Additional bug fixes targeted issues such as duplicated animations during onboarding, padding inconsistencies in modal windows, and excessive sync requests in the Wallet. These refinements underscore ION’s focus on delivering a highly polished platform. As Yuliia noted, “This next phase is all about polish—refining every UX edge, locking in app stability, and making sure everything feels ready for prime time.”
Growing Ecosystem Through Strategic Collaborations
To expand the Online+ ecosystem, ION has partnered with AdPod, XDB Chain, and LetsExchange—each bringing distinct tools and audiences to the table. All three are building dedicated decentralized apps (dApps) using the ION Framework, a development toolkit designed for crafting Web3 apps with ease.
- AdPod: A Web3-native advertising platform powered by AI, AdPod is joining Online+ to facilitate more intelligent ad targeting and allow content creators to earn within a decentralized framework. It’s also building a community-oriented ad dApp on the ION Framework.
- XDB Chain: Focused on branded digital assets and decentralized identity, XDB Chain enables unique connections between users and brands. Their upcoming dApp will empower identity-driven, cross-chain experiences on Online+.
- LetsExchange: Already integrated for $ICE token trading, LetsExchange is deepening its collaboration by embedding swaps, bridging, and DEX tools into the platform. Their upcoming dApp will let users explore swap features, find new trading pairs, and engage with the crypto community. A recent joint AMA underscored the partnership’s value in building a socially rich, finance-powered space.