Status (SNT — Status Network Token) is a decentralized, open-source mobile-first application combining an Ethereum wallet, a peer-to-peer encrypted messaging client, and a dApp browser — built by Status Research & Development GmbH and launched via a June 2017 ICO that raised approximately $104 million in ETH — with the vision of creating a censorship-resistant, surveillance-proof communication layer for Ethereum that anyone can use without an account, phone number, or email address, built on the Waku peer-to-peer messaging protocol (a fork and evolution of Whisper, Ethereum’s own p2p messaging spec) where messages are relayed through a gossip network of nodes with no central server that can be taken down or compelled to reveal user data.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Ticker | SNT |
| Price | $0.01 |
| Market Cap | $39.73M |
| 24h Change | +1.9% |
| Circulating Supply | 3.96B SNT |
| Max Supply | 6.80B SNT |
| All-Time High | $0.68 |
| Contract (Ethereum) | 0x744d...5b9e |
How It Works
- Waku Protocol (formerly Whisper) — Status messages are transmitted over Waku (evolved from the Ethereum Whisper protocol), a decentralized publish-subscribe gossip network where messages are end-to-end encrypted and routed through a peer-to-peer network of participating nodes. No Status Inc. server ever sees message content.
- Key-based identity — Users are identified by an Ethereum key pair (cryptographic public/private keys), not a phone number or email. Sharing your public key allows contacts to message you. Status generates a human-readable chat key name for each ID.
- Wallet integration — Status includes a full Ethereum wallet with support for ETH, ERC-20 tokens, and NFTs. Users can send crypto within the messaging UI.
- dApp browser — Status includes an in-app Web3 browser providing direct access to Ethereum dApps (Uniswap, OpenSea, etc.) with the wallet connected.
- SNT utility — SNT enables username registration (Ethereum Name Service / Status username registry), tributes-to-talk (anti-spam mechanism where unknown senders pledge SNT to initiate contact), and governance voting in the Status DAO.
- Communities (group chats) — Status supports group chats called Communities (akin to Discord servers), where the admin can set SNT token-gating for entry.
Tokenomics
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Ticker | SNT |
| Chain | Ethereum ERC-20 |
| Contract | 0x744d70FDBE2Ba4CF95131626614a1763DF805B9E |
| Total Supply | ~6,804,870,174 SNT |
| ICO | June 2017; raised ~$104M in ETH (one of the largest ICOs at the time) |
| SNT usage | Username fees, governance, tributes-to-talk (anti-spam) |
Use Cases
- Privacy-first messaging — Users communicate without phone numbers or emails, metadata-minimized, end-to-end encrypted.
- Crypto wallet — Send and receive Ethereum assets within the Status app.
- dApp access — Browse and interact with Ethereum dApps using the embedded Web3 browser.
- Token-gated communities — Status Communities allow token (SNT or any ERC-20/NFT) gating for group membership.
- DAO governance — SNT holders vote on Status Network governance proposals.
History
- 2015–2016 — Status co-founded by Jarrad Hope and Carl Bennetts in Switzerland. The vision: a mobile Ethereum client combining messaging, wallet, and browser. Development begins targeting Android and iOS.
- 2017-06-20 — Status ICO. One of the largest token sales of 2017: approximately $104 million raised in ETH during the sale. The ICO’s popularity temporarily congested the Ethereum network (a precursor to the 2017 CryptoKitties congestion event).
- 2017-09 — SNT listed on exchanges. Status releases early alpha versions of the app. UX and performance limitations are acknowledged as early challenges.
- 2018 — Status releases v1 of the mobile app for Android and iOS on mainnet. Early versions are functional but criticized for battery drain and slow message delivery due to Whisper (the original messaging layer) not scaling well on mobile.
- 2019 — Status pivots to evolving and replacing the Ethereum Whisper protocol with a new standard, initially called Waku. Waku development begins as a joint effort by Status and the Ethereum Foundation, optimizing Whisper’s transport for mobile resource constraints.
- 2020 — Waku v1 and v2 specifications published. Status begins migrating its messaging stack from Whisper to Waku. The Ethereum Foundation contributors (including the Vac research team, funded by Status) publish Waku as an open standard for any dApp to use for p2p messaging.
- 2021 — Status app improved significantly. WalletConnect integration, NFT display, and Communities (group channels) added in updates. Status gains renewed attention during the DeFi/NFT boom as a native Web3 messaging option.
- 2022 — Status Mobile v1 beta with multiple core improvements. Waku becomes an independent open standard used beyond Status (e.g., Railgun protocol, XMTP research). Status raises additional funding to continue development.
- 2023 — Status Messenger and Status Network undergo restructuring. The team separates into discrete components: Status Messenger (app), Waku (protocol, contributed to Ethereum Foundation research), and Status Network (SNT/governance layer). Keycard hardware wallet (NFC smart card) continues as a Status product.
- 2024 — Status continues active development. The messaging layer (Waku) is running and used. Status considers itself differentiated from Signal and Telegram by not requiring phone numbers and not having a central server that can be subpoenaed.
Common Misconceptions
“Status is just a Signal clone in crypto.”
Status and Signal solve similar problems (private messaging) but from fundamentally different architectures. Signal is a centralized protocol requiring a phone number, with servers controlled by a US non-profit. Status uses peer-to-peer messaging where no central server stores messages or metadata.
“SNT is needed to send messages.”
SNT is not required for basic messaging — messages are routed through the Waku network regardless of SNT holdings. SNT enables optional features: username registration, tributes (anti-spam deposits), and governance.
Social Media Sentiment
Status has a loyal but relatively small community of privacy advocates, Ethereum developers, and cypherpunks who appreciate its philosophical alignment with decentralization and resistance to censorship. The ICO raised enormous capital in 2017, generating expectations that the app would compete with WhatsApp and Telegram — expectations it has not met in terms of user adoption. Criticism centers on the slow pace of UX improvement, persistent bugs in mobile performance, and the difficulty of mainstream adoption of key-based identity (no phone number recovery). SNT tokens trade well below 2018 highs. The Waku protocol work is however respected in the Ethereum Foundation community as important infrastructure.
Last updated: 2026-04