World App adds encrypted chat and in-wallet crypto payments in major upgrade

World App adds encrypted chat, virtual accounts, and support for 100+ crypto assets, merging verified identity with global payments in one "super app."​

Summary

• World App now supports encrypted chat where verified humans appear as blue bubbles, enhancing privacy and anti-bot protections.
• New virtual accounts let users receive salaries or bank transfers and convert funds into USDC and other supported tokens in-app.
• The upgrade adds in-chat crypto payments, swaps across 100+ assets including WLD, WBTC, ETH and tokenized gold, plus broader merchant reach.

World, the biometric identity-verification project led by Sam Altman, has released an updated version of its application featuring encrypted chat services and integrated cryptocurrency payment options, the company announced Thursday.

World App upgrade

The upgrade enables users to send, deposit and withdraw cryptocurrency within the World Wallet and virtual accounts, similar to payment platform Venmo, according to the announcement. The new application supports USDC, EURC and wrapped Bitcoin and Ethereum, along with more than 100 additional cryptocurrency tokens.

World formally launched its application in 2023, stating at the time that its mission is to provide tools for verifying human identity amid increasing AI manipulation capabilities.

The app upgrade was unveiled Thursday at World’s San Francisco headquarters, where Altman and World co-founder and CEO Alex Blania presented the innovations. The development team described the new upgrade as a “super app” before the product team detailed its features.

Altman stated that identifying unique individuals while preserving privacy presents significant challenges, according to a report by Mezha.

The chat feature displays blue message bubbles for verified humans and gray bubbles for unverified users to ensure conversation privacy. Profile photos are verified against Orb images stored on users’ devices.

In May, World launched its iris-scanning project to U.S. customers. The process requires users to scan their face and iris for approximately 30 seconds, creating a unique IrisCode to verify their identity.

The World app previously functioned as a digital wallet, with the new version introducing virtual bank accounts. Users can now receive salary payments directly in the World App and make deposits from bank accounts, after which funds can be converted into cryptocurrency, according to the report.

The platform supports swaps and trades across more than 100 assets, including World Chain native tokens and real-world asset tokens such as tokenized gold, the company stated.

The updated application reflects the company’s strategy to expand partnerships and develop a more integrated ecosystem focused on facilitating cryptocurrency usage, according to the statement.