Status, one of Ethereum’s oldest open-source projects, has rolled out a unified privacy super-app, introduced its gasless Layer 2 network Status Network, and paired the product push with USS Status, a satirical sci-fi cartoon that recasts crypto’s messy history as comedy.
Founded in 2017, Status has spent years building around a single application that combines a secure crypto wallet, privacy-focused messaging, and a web browser. The latest release keeps that structure intact but presents it as a rebuilt, unified app for both mobile and desktop, with privacy kept at the center of the product.
A single app for chat, wallet activity, and private browsing
According to the project, the updated app includes anonymous profiles, a built-in multi-chain wallet, swap functionality, end-to-end encrypted messaging, censorship-resistant Community spaces, and a privacy-preserving browser. Status says its messaging stack is based on Logos peer-to-peer technology, previously known as Whisper, together with decentralized smart contracts. The app is available through status.app.
The project’s relaunch is also being framed through storytelling rather than product specs alone. USS Status follows a fictional crew moving through a galaxy shaped by surveillance, centralization, and weak governance, while making direct cultural nods to recognizable crypto figures, tokens, and projects. Episode 1 brings back an infamous crypto character, though the team jokes that any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
The series is already live on X, YouTube, and TikTok, and Status has indicated that more episodes are on the way. The app lead at Status said crypto over the past decade has traded fun and freedom for hype and profit-first narratives, and described USS Status as a way to laugh at the chaos while reminding people that tools defending privacy, free speech, and digital freedom can still be built without losing the cypherpunk spirit.
Status Network aims to remove gas from the user experience
Alongside the app release, Status has detailed Status Network, which it describes as the world’s first natively gasless L2 blockchain. The network is built on the Linea zkEVM stack and uses a reputation-based Karma system backed by native yield to remove the need for gas, opening the door to gasless private accounts.
Status also says the network is the first Ethereum L2 to offer gas-free transactions at scale. Under the model outlined by the team, revenue comes from native yield and app fees, with 100% of net revenue redistributed to the community for liquidity incentives, a public funding pool, and SNT buy-backs. The pitch is clear: easier onboarding for games, social apps, and DeFi, without stepping away from Ethereum’s security assumptions and core values.
Pre-deposit vaults for staking on Status Network are now open, while the project says mainnet is planned for Q1. Status has also opened channels on X for network updates and for following the USS Status series.