Base has gotten a major rebrand.
The Base L2 is now Base Chain, and Coinbase Wallet is now the Base app.
As part of this rebrand, the wallet’s been rebuilt into an “everything app” that weaves together Farcaster social, Zora-powered monetization, mini apps, payments, swaps, and encrypted chats.
The Base app is in invite-only beta for now. I got early access and spent the day trying it out. Here’s what to expect.
~~ Overview by
@cluteCtyp ~~
Navigating the app
After downloading the app, you’ll be prompted to create a
@base account or import your Coinbase Wallet. Then you’ll create or connect a
@farcaster_xyz
account, pick social categories like "Crypto" or "News," and you’re in.
The home screen places community apps front and center.
The top tab takes you to trending Farcaster mini apps. Below that is a carousel of featured apps (e.g.
@fx_hash_,
@Mamo_agent,
@qrcoindotfun) and discovery categories like "Games," "Social," and "Art."
The next tab - marked by a rectangle between two short lines - brings you to the in-app social feed powered by Farcaster.
You’ll notice market cap stats under posts. This is from the
@zora coins integration, letting any post become a tradable token.
To post, hit the pencil button in the lower right. You’ll get a familiar casting UI, with a toggle in the lower left to enable or disable coining.
When I casted that post above, my wallet immediately received initial earnings via Zora. You can also use the QR button in the wallet to pull up your address and deposit more funds.
Another feature: tap the “Buy” button to link your main
@coinbase account and fund your Base wallet from USD or crypto holdings.
To trade or transact, tap the arrows icon. You’ll access a swaps UI, plus options to send, request, or claim via tap-to-pay and links.
The chat box icon leads to the Chat hub. You can DM followers or talk to onchain AI assistants like
@bankrbot and Mamo.
The bell icon shows Farcaster notifications. The wallet icon lets you manage in-app holdings.
Zooming out
The Base app is smooth, easy to onboard to, and packed with onchain experiences. It has clear breakout potential.
Farcaster and Zora are two of crypto’s most compelling projects, and they’re integrated well here. The result is a wallet unlike anything else.
But these are early days. Expect steady improvements ahead.