2026-07-15

Official Confirmation: v25 Mainnet Upgrade Expected 7/22, Finally a Clue Why It Took So Long This Time

From the June 18th deadline until now, we've had a lingering question in our previous two articles tracking v25: Why is this mainnet switch taking so much longer than the previous three? On July 15th, the official blog provided part of the answer. Official Confirmation: Mainnet Switch on 7/22 Looking back at previous instances: 34 days. This isn't a "slight delay"; it's a significantly different timeframe compared to before. Why the Long Delay This Time? The Official Explanation In the past three instances (V22, V23, V24), the official team never published a separate article explaining the switch beforehand. This time, a dedicated blog post was written, stating that v25 introduces two technical components: BN254 encryption and Poseidon hashing According to the official statement, these two are the technical foundation for building zero-knowledge applications – allowing apps to verify whether an identity or condition is met without revealing all personal information. The examples given are identity verification and proof of qualification. This is considerably more complex than V24's "infrastructure reinforcement." V24's goal was to make the network more stable, while V25 adds new cryptographic capabilities at the protocol layer. The technical complexity of the two is not on the same level, which might be the reason for the extended duration – however, the official blog itself didn't directly explain why there was a 34-day gap, and we won't speculate without basis. Other Updates Announced by the Official Team This blog post also includes two updates unrelated to the protocol upgrade, which are noted here: Redesign of Pi Mining App's Side Menu and Profile Page The official team stated this is "the first step in a comprehensive app update," introducing dark mode and adjusting information layout. They explicitly mentioned that this will be rolled out gradually, not all at once. This part is unrelated to the protocol upgrade and concerns changes to the app's interface layer. Removal of Banxa as an In-App Option Since the app now offers Fast Track KYC for direct mainnet wallet creation, the official team has removed Banxa from the app interface. The official statement clarifies that Banxa can still be used as an external third-party option, it just won't appear within the app's interface anymore. OrbitWatch's Next Tracking Focus July 22nd is the scheduled date provided by the official team. Around that time, we will verify whether the Horizon API's protocol_version has indeed switched. As in the past – just because the official team says it will happen doesn't mean it will happen on that exact day. We await on-chain data to confirm. Further Reading Nodes are already running v25, but mainnet is still v24 – this discrepancy is different this time V25 Node Deadline Passed, Our Nodes Are Still on v24 – Is This Normal? Data sources: Pi Network official blog (minepi.com/blog/v25-menu-redesign/, published 2026/7/15), Pi Network Horizon API (api.mainnet.minepi.com). All analyses do not constitute investment advice. OrbitWatch is an independent Pi Network ecosystem observatory and is not affiliated with the official Pi Network team.

• •Pi Network's v25 mainnet upgrade is officially scheduled for July 22nd, marking a significant 34-day delay compared to previous upgrades which typically took only 3 days.
• •The extended delay is attributed to the introduction of complex new cryptographic capabilities (BN254 encryption and Poseidon hashing) in v25, which are crucial for building zero-knowledge applications.