MetaMask, the most popular Ethereum software wallet, has changed its look by updating its user interface following some negative feedback from the community.
The extension now becomes cleaner and tidier, able to cope with the demands of the web3 audience.
Let’s look at all the details together.
Summary
Ethereum software wallet: MetaMask extension updates user interface
MetaMask, the software wallet for Ethereum developed by the company Consensys, announced yesterday that it has made some changes to its user interface in order to meet the needs of its community.
In version 10.33, the fox mask has swapped the sorting of some features, effectively changing its look by making it sharper and neater.
First, information about account name, connection status, and network selection have all been included within a single top row, reducing the visual noise previously experienced by users.
Now everything you need to operate in DeFi is at your fingertips in the top area of the extension.
Connection status in particular is now more apparent, so you can more easily manage access with the various dApps and know in real time what you are about to connect to.
A common “problem” with the previous version of the MetaMask Ethereum wallet was that the global menu navigation was embedded with the account selection and was confusing to a large part of the community.
Instead, now the account avatar is placed next to the name so that you have a clear visual association with your identity.
In addition, with the new update the problem of “token-network” matching has been solved: when, for example, logging into the Avalanche network, instead of the token “AVAX” it would still read “ETH,” which was quite confusing for newbies.
Instead, now each network is correctly associated with its respective token.
One final adjustment to the user interface of the Ethereum wallet concerns the “portfolio” entry, now added directly to the main MetaMask dashboard.
The hope is that with this update Consensys may have simplified the user experience of its flagship product, prompting positive feedback and consequently increasing the number of downloads to the extension.
Hardware wallet vs software wallet
Despite the updated user interface of MetaMask, the main Ethereum wallet, the ongoing debate between those who prefer software version crypto wallets and those who prefer hardware wallets remains alive.
Indeed, MetaMask, as a downloadable extension for Chrome, Ios and Android, suffers from all the security issues related to software wallets.
In particular, when MetaMask is downloaded (as well as all software wallets), the private keys of the account are kept internally in the device (the computer) on which the installation takes place, in a folder that can easily fall victim to hack attacks.
There are many cases where users have experienced breaches of their wallet with associated loss of all funds, typically due to a malware attack.
Even if you download a good antivirus and take all the precautions in the world, you need to be aware that this vulnerability unfortunately cannot be fixed.
A different matter applies to hardware wallets such as Ledger, Trezor, Bitbox and Coldcard where the private key storage is within the device itself (the flash drive to be clear).
By using these wallets in offline mode and removing the hardware every time we have finished our transactions, it will be much more difficult (if not impossible) to be robbed by malicious parties.
Obviously, this type of wallet is more complex than the software wallets: for a user who performs dozens of transactions a day, it might be more inconvenient as there is trivially a pin to enter to approve any transaction.
There is also to consider that the device has to be guarded away from the seed phrase, as if a thief happens to come in and take away both the hardware and the seed, we can kiss our cryptocurrencies goodbye.
Same goes for natural disasters such as fires, floods, and earthquakes: if you lose both components at the same time, you are screwed.
In any case, assuming that the custody of the device and the seed phrase is done properly, we can conclude that the hardware versions turn out to be significantly more secure than their software counterparts.
As much as software wallets for Ethereum, such as MetaMask, may be extremely more “convenient” and straightforward for those beginning to approach the DeFi world, the hardware versions are definitely the most tamper-proof.
However, we can take advantage of the convenience of operating via MetaMask with the security of hardware wallets by simply connecting one’s device to the extension.
