World, the biometric identity verification project co-founded by Sam Altman, today released the latest version of its app, debuting several new features including encrypted chat integration and expanded Venmo-like functionality for sending and requesting cryptocurrencies.
World was created by startup Tools for Humanity in 2019 and originally released the app in 2023. The company says it wants to create a digital “proof of human” tool to help distinguish humans from bots in a world disrupted by AI-generated digital forgeries.
At a small gathering Thursday at World’s San Francisco headquarters, Altman and World co-founder and CEO Alex Branier briefly introduced the new version of the app (which the developers are calling the “super app”) before the product team got into the new features. In his talk, Altman said the concept for World came from a conversation he had with Branier about the need to build a new kind of economic model. That model, based on Web3 principles, is what World aims to achieve through its verification network. “Both identifying unique people and doing it while protecting their privacy is extremely difficult,” Altman says.
The app’s new messenger, World Chat, appears to be designed to do just that. The company said it uses end-to-end encryption to keep users’ conversations secure (described as being on par with privacy-focused messenger Signal) and leverages color-coded speech bubbles to alert users whether the person they’re talking to is authenticated by World’s systems. The idea is to encourage verification and give people the power to know if the person they’re talking to is who they say they are. Chat was originally released in beta in March.
Another big feature revealed on Thursday was an expansion of the digital payment system that will allow app users to send and receive cryptocurrencies. The World app has functioned as a digital wallet for some time, but the latest version of the app includes broader functionality. A virtual bank account also allows users to receive their paycheck directly in the World App or deposit it from their bank account, both of which can be converted into virtual currency. These features have not yet been verified by World’s authentication system.
Tiago Sada, World’s chief product officer, told TechCrunch that part of the reason chat was added was to create a more interactive experience for users. “What we kept hearing from people was that they wanted a more social World app,” Sada said. World Chat is designed to meet that need, creating what Sada calls a secure way to communicate. “It took a lot of effort to create this feature-rich messenger that is similar to WhatsApp and Telegram, but with encryption and security that is much closer to Signal,” Sada says.
World (originally called Worldcoin) has its own verification process in place. Interested individuals have their eyes scanned in one of the company’s offices, where an orb (large authentication device) converts their iris into a unique encrypted digital code. That code, a verified World ID, is used to interact with World’s ecosystem of services available through the app.
tech crunch event
san francisco
|
October 13-15, 2026
The addition of more socially friendly features is clearly intended to drive wider adoption of the app, and this makes sense since scaling validation is a major challenge for the company. Altman has said he wants the project to scan the eyes of 1 billion people, but Tools for Humanity claims it has scanned fewer than 20 million people.
The company is already aiming to make the verification process less cumbersome, as waiting in long lines at a corporate office to have your eyeballs scanned with a giant metal ball may not be appealing to some users. In April, Tools for Humanity introduced Orb Mini, a cell phone-like device that allows users to scan their eyes from the comfort of their home. Branier previously told TechCrunch that he hopes to eventually turn the Orb Mini into a mobile POS device or sell the ID sensor technology to device manufacturers. If the company takes such steps, it could significantly lower the barriers to verification and encourage broader adoption.
Source link
