Ice Open Network News: $ICE Token Migration, Partnership & More

With recent updates on development, strategic partnerships, and a token ticker migration from $ICE to $ION, Ice Open Network (ION) is gaining momentum in the Web3 space. The Layer 1 blockchain platform continues to make headlines as it approaches the highly anticipated launch of its flagship decentralized social media application, Online+. 

This article dives into the latest developments from the Ice Open Network team, including a significant X Spaces interview with BSC News, new ecosystem integrations, and technical advancements, offering a comprehensive look at the protocol’s growth in the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) landscape. 

Online+ Beta Bulletin: A Milestone in Decentralized Social Media

On May 12, 2025, the Ice Open Network team shared a detailed update through their Online+ Beta Bulletin, authored by Product Lead Yuliia. The bulletin highlights the rapid progress of Online+, designed to integrate social interactions, encrypted chat, wallet functionality, and dApp exploration into a single, user-controlled platform. Built on ION’s high-performance blockchain, Online+ aims to redefine social media by prioritizing privacy, decentralization, and scalability.

Yuliia emphasized the intensity of the development sprint, noting, “Last week was a big one — not just in intensity, but in output. We closed more features and bug fixes than in any previous sprint, and you can feel the app tightening up with every commit.” 

The statement reflects the team’s dedication to delivering a polished product as they approach the public release.

Key Feature Updates and Bug Fixes

Like every update, the latest bulletin outlined a series of feature updates and bug fixes, showcasing the team’s focus on enhancing user experience (UX) and backend stability:

• Authentication: The team introduced passkey autocomplete, simplifying logins by eliminating the need to recall identity key names.
• Wallet Enhancements: Users can now enjoy real-time balance updates with a pull-to-refresh feature in the coin transaction history. Additional improvements include address creation for specific networks, amount limits in send/request flows, and consistent USD value displays (e.g., $xx format in transaction details).
• Chat Functionality: A major milestone was the implementation of message editing, which Yuliia described as a significant achievement: “The biggest milestone? We shipped message editing in Chat — a feature that took a full refactor and deep regression testing to pull off. It was a huge effort across the team, but it’s already made a difference.” Other chat updates include improved notifications, video playback controls, and the removal of forward/report options to streamline interactions.
• Feed and Profile Improvements: The feed now features updated font colors, better post spacing, and hashtag autocomplete, while the profile section allows in-app feedback submission and auto-selects the default phone language.
• Security and General Updates: The email deletion flow received text updates, and Sentry was implemented for production environment logging to monitor and debug issues effectively.

The team also resolved numerous bugs across the wallet, chat, and feed modules. For instance, wallet fixes addressed balance display errors, transaction history sorting, and address formatting, while chat improvements tackled message duplication, voice message functionality, and delivery delays. 

Beyond frontend enhancements, the Ice Open Network team has been reinforcing the backend infrastructure to support Online+’s global rollout. 

“We also kept up the pace in Wallet — fixing lingering issues, polishing flows, and wrapping the final core features we need before launch. And yes, we’ve been deep in infrastructure too, making sure the backend holds up to everything we’re building on top of it,” Yuliia added. 

This focus on scalability aligns with ION’s claim of supporting millions of transactions per second (TPS), positioning it as a competitor to Layer-1 blockchains like Solana (65,000 TPS) and Polygon.

Strategic Partnerships Fuel Ecosystem Growth

The platform’s ecosystem is expanding rapidly, with several high-profile partnerships announced in the Online+ Beta Bulletin. These collaborations aim to integrate diverse use cases into the Online+ platform, from gaming and finance to content creation.

• Versus: A skill-based PvP gaming platform, Versus is joining Online+ to connect competitive gamers through a decentralized social layer. Built on the ION Framework, Versus will introduce Web3 wagering and AAA titles, enhancing the platform’s appeal to gamers.
• FoxWallet: A secure, multi-chain Web3 wallet, FoxWallet is integrating with Online+ to expand community engagement. The wallet will launch its own community hub on the ION Framework, supporting cross-chain access, self-custody, and DeFi adoption.
• 3look: A SocialFi platform focused on meme-based, rewardable content, 3look will launch a dedicated dApp on the ION Framework. This integration will enable creators and brands to collaborate, campaign, and earn within the Online+ ecosystem.
• GraphLinq: Announced on May 10, 2025, this partnership brings GraphLinq’s AI-powered automation tools and no-code dApp development capabilities to Online+. GraphLinq will also build a social community app on the ION Framework, simplifying dApp creation and enhancing user engagement through automation.

These partnerships underscore ION’s strategy to build a diverse and inclusive ecosystem, catering to a wide range of users and developers. By integrating gaming, financial tools, and content platforms, Online+ is poised to become a central hub for Web3 interactions.

Token Ticker Migration: From $ICE to $ION

On May 9, 2025, the Ice Open Network team announced the migration of its native token ticker from $ICE to $ION. This rebranding effort, shared via an X post, reflects the project’s maturation after 1.5 years of development. 

The ticker change symbolizes a unified identity for the ecosystem, which now boasts a community of over 40 million users and 200 validators staking 15% of the 6.8 billion $ION tokens in circulation. However, the token has faced market challenges, with its price at $0.0065, down 58% from its all-time high of $0.015 in January 2024, according to CoinMarketCap data. 

Despite this volatility, the migration aims to boost investor clarity and marketability as ION prepares for broader adoption.

X Spaces Interview and Beyond

Ice Open Network’s founder and CEO, Alexandru Iulian Florea (aka Zeus), joined BSC News for a live X Spaces interview, an event that generated significant buzz within the crypto community. The interview, announced by BSC News on May 6, 2025, and later linked by the Ice Open Network team, focused on the ION ecosystem growth, the Online+ platform, and the project’s roadmap for 2025.

The timing of the interview coincided with the token ticker migration, adding to the event’s significance. Florea also referenced ION’s participation in the Token2049 conference, where the project uncovered the vision behind Online+. 

As Ice Open Network prepares for the global launch of Online+, the project is at a pivotal moment. The recent approvals of Online+ on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store signal readiness for mass adoption, while partnerships with Versus, FoxWallet, 3look, and GraphLinq expand the ecosystem’s reach. The token ticker migration to $ION and the high-profile X Spaces interview with BSC News further underscore ION’s momentum.

For users and investors, the coming months will be critical. The success of Online+ hinges on delivering a seamless UX comparable to Web2 platforms, while sustained community engagement will determine ION’s long-term impact in the Web3 space. With its large community and a scalable blockchain infrastructure, Ice Open Network is well-positioned to drive the next wave of decentralized innovation—if it can navigate the challenges ahead.