WTF is a 'Smart Account'? ✨

GM builders,

Welcome back to thirdweb weekly: where we highlight how web3 is disrupting everything from events ticketing to social media. 🚀 

Speaking of events: we’re gonna be at NFT NYC! 🗽 Join Club CPG, HERHOUSE, & thirdweb for 3 days of co-working (April 12-14) and a networking happy hour… RSVP & get the full deets here.

WTF is a Smart Account? The Future of Web3 Wallets ✨ 

Web3 wallets are a user’s key to the blockchain — allowing you to access & interact with dApps, store digital assets like NFTs, and manage your crypto. But let’s be honest: the web3 wallet experience of today sucks.

For a new user to interact with the blockchain, they must: create a wallet, store their private keys, purchase & transfer funds, pay gas fees, and sign every action they take on a dApp. With such an intimidating user experience, something must change.

Enter ‘smart accounts’: a type of non-custodial wallet that uses smart contracts to operate and manage assets, introduced by Ethereum’s approval of ERC-4337 last month. With enhanced security, customization, & powerful new features, they pave the way for a better web3 user experience.

Like any smart contract, these smart accounts are programmable & customizable — enabling transformative use cases like:

• Auto-generated wallets: Create new non-custodial wallets for your users when they sign up for your app, website, or game — automagically.

• Recoverable wallets: Simplify account management and enhance security for users by creating wallets that don’t require externally owned accounts (EOAs), private keys, or seed phrases.

• Team wallets: Enable seamless on-chain collaboration for your organization with shared wallets — with multiple users and tiered permissions for each member.

• Custom transactions: Enable signless transactions, set transaction limits, block certain transactions, and more. Allow users to pay with their preferred ERC-20 tokens.

• Gas upgrades: Cover users’ gas fees for NFT mints, airdrop claims, and any other dApp experience.

Hold on though: Don’t smart contract wallets (like Safe & Argent) already exist? What’s new about ERC-4337? And how do I even get started with smart accounts? Learn all of the above & more in our full breakdown:

📹️ Video Tutorial: How to Create a Web3 Mobile App on iOS (in 20 Minutes)

In this video, learn how to create a web3 iPhone app (from scratch) in 20 minutes, using thirdweb’s Mobile SDK. We’ll take you step-by-step through:

• Deploying a smart contract to any blockchain in 1 click

• Creating a web3 mobile app on iOS with a simple NFT claim

• Integrating the smart contract into your app for users to claim NFTs

📚️ Guide: How to Create an ERC721A NFT Drop on Milkomeda (EVM Rollup for Algorand & Cardano)

In this guide, learn how to create an NFT Drop on the Milkomeda EVM Rollup for Algorand & Cardano — in under 10 minutes. We’ll take you step-by-step through:

• Creating an ERC721A NFT smart contract in 1 click

• Deploying it to Milkomeda (A1 for Algorand, C1 for Cardano)

• Building an NFT Drop using thirdweb’s Mint Website template

📚️ Events Schedule: NFT NYC & Office Hours

🔥 Web3 Innovation: The Battle of the zkEVMs

🚢 Product Update: Introducing the Transaction Builder

Have a great rest of your week shippin’! 🚢 🛠️ 

And if you’re ever looking for 33,000+ other builders to learn from & share your web3 journey with, look no further than our Discord community 🤝