ION News Roundup: New Partnerships and Online+ Updates

Ice Open Network (ION) continues to advance its decentralized social media and blockchain ecosystem, with significant developments. Today’s ION Weekly Roundup focuses on key partnerships, alongside pivotal updates from the Online+ Beta Bulletin, as the protocol prepares for the public launch of its flagship social media decentralized application (dApp). 

With the final version of Online+ submitted to app stores, anticipation is growing for a platform that could redefine decentralized social interactions.

More Partnerships Strengthen ION Ecosystem

ION’s strategic expansion was evident last week with two major partnership announcements, both enhancing the Online+ platform’s decentralized infrastructure capabilities.

GPU AI Joins Online+ and ION

On June 19, ION welcomed GPU AI to the Online+ ecosystem, emphasizing its role in decentralized AI computing. The platform builds a global AI compute layer by leveraging idle GPU resources to create a community-driven network for secure, real-time AI execution. Using federated scheduling, encrypted containers, and tokenized incentives, GPU AI empowers AI developers, researchers, and enterprises. 

This partnership integrates a dedicated GPUAI dApp into the ION Framework, enhancing Online+’s social layer with AI-driven capabilities. 

SFT Protocol Bolsters DePIN Capabilities

ION partnered with SFTProtocol, a key player in Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN). SFT Protocol’s “Chain of Chains” model unifies storage, compute, and content delivery, creating a robust foundation for decentralized applications. This collaboration brings its infrastructure to Online+, supporting high-performance social media functionalities. 

By integrating SFTProtocol, ION enhances Online+’s ability to serve creators, developers, and users with scalable, decentralized infrastructure. Overall, these partnerships position ION as a leader in combining AI, DePIN, and social media, expanding the possibilities for Online+ users.

Online+ Beta Bulletin: Final Push for Launch

The Online+ Beta Bulletin, shared on June 20, provided a comprehensive update on the development of ION’s flagship dApp. The content focused on the protocol’s focus on finetuning the feed with all other components in great shape. Other details, including bug fixes and the submission of the final app version to app stores, were also covered in the bulletin. 

“With the main modules in great shape, we turned our attention to finetuning the biggest and most dynamic component — the Feed. It’s the one that represents the app’s heart, where everything comes together, so we’re making sure it is immaculate before we go public launch,” ION’s Product Lead, Yuliia, stated. 

Feature Updates Enhance User Experience

The bulletin outlined significant updates across Online+’s core modules, like Feed, Wallet, Chat, and Profile, designed to deliver a seamless and engaging platform. As stated earlier, the Feed received the most attention, with new features to improve content discovery and interaction:

• Topic Tags and Article Categories: Stories, posts, articles, and videos now feature topic tags, simplifying content discovery. Article categories further organize the Feed for better navigation.
• Optimized Media Handling: The Feed restricts concurrent media downloads and optimizes image caching, improving load times and browsing efficiency.
• Verified User Comments: Comments are now limited to verified users, enhancing interaction quality and reducing spam.
• Enhanced Notifications: Users receive notifications for others’ content, boosting engagement.

The Wallet module introduced fluid loading states and a “Manage Coins” feature displaying a full list of supported cryptocurrencies. The Chat module saw faster load times through synced user metadata, along with visual enhancements like glowing sidebars around profile pictures. iOS users also gained decryptable push notifications for improved security. The Profile module added a fluid UI for loading states, while global subscriptions and a recursive missing-events fetcher ensure all relay events are captured, even under high traffic.

Yuliia emphasized the team’s progress: “All in all, at this our pre-release stage, we’re seeing more performance improvements than new features, which is exactly where we want to be before opening the doors to the users. Most of Just final touches. our last week’s work was about improving performance — speed, and responsiveness, — and — making sure everything behaves seamlessly under load. Just final touches.”

Bug Fixes Ensure Stability

The bulletin reported over 25 bug fixes to ensure a stable pre-release version. Key fixes included:

• Auth Module: Resolved a login modal jumping issue when clicking the Identity key name field.
• Wallet Module: Fixed errors in Aptos send-flow commissions and BTC transaction attempts for smoother cryptocurrency transactions.
• Chat Module: Corrected payment message delivery and message status display for restored keypairs.
• Feed Module: Eliminated lingering reply indicators, preserved original video dimensions, fixed video editing preview images, and updated polls to count votes instantly with image support.

These fixes reflect ION’s commitment to addressing user feedback and delivering a reliable platform.

In addition to partnerships and Online+ updates, ION released Part 6 of its ION Economy Deep-Dive Series on June 20. The series explained how the $ION token scales burns across over 20 chains, powering value for dApps built on the ION Framework. This chain-agnostic model enhances ecosystem flexibility, attracting developers and users. 

Looking Ahead: Online+ Mainnet Imminent

ION’s immediate focus is refining the Online+ Feed, prioritizing performance and responsiveness to ensure a smooth experience across content types. The team will also address remaining low-priority tasks to enhance usability and consistency. 

The partnership positions ION as a pioneer in integrating AI and DePIN with decentralized social media. These collaborations will enhance Online+’s capabilities, offering users access to advanced computing and infrastructure within a social context. The launch is imminent with the final app version submitted to app stores, marking a significant milestone for ION. 

For the latest updates, follow @ice_blockchain on X or visit our dedicated ION portal.