Resolving .eth addresses on mobile devices?

[Abiky]

The Ethereum Naming Service (ENS) provides domain names that live on the ETH Blockchain for censorship-resistance. Site addresses could end in ".eth" similar to other TLDs like ".com", ".net", and ".org". They can also be linked to ETH public keys, so that anyone could send you ETH just using your domain name of choice. In my computer, I'm able to easily access ".eth" domain names on a web browser using the "PeerName" extension.

But I'm trying to figure out how to do this on mobile devices. The Chrome browser I'm using on Android doesn't have support for extensions, so I can't use PeerName there. Is there a work around for Android where I could visit ".eth" websites? I'd be intrigued to know about this as browsing the Web 3.0 on a mobile device would be much more convenient than doing so on a traditional desktop computer.

Any help, recommendations, or suggestions will be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance

[20kevin20]

Unfortunately, I havent found a direct answer to your question anywhere so I decided to start trying to give it a try myself. It looks like Opera and Chrome do not accept the Peername extension so the only mobile app that lets you install it is Firefox (haven't tried Focus iet but I guess it doesn't work over there). However, I can't find anywhere a ".eth" website to test it out?

I currently have the Firefox Peercoin Add-On installed on my phone but no domains for testing purposes. I've seen that Vitalik has changed his Twitter name to "vitalik.eth" but apparently it does not establish connection to any website if I try it.

[Abiky]

Unfortunately, I havent found a direct answer to your question anywhere so I decided to start trying to give it a try myself. It looks like Opera and Chrome do not accept the Peername extension so the only mobile app that lets you install it is Firefox (haven't tried Focus iet but I guess it doesn't work over there). However, I can't find anywhere a ".eth" website to test it out?

I currently have the Firefox Peercoin Add-On installed on my phone but no domains for testing purposes. I've seen that Vitalik has changed his Twitter name to "vitalik.eth" but apparently it does not establish connection to any website if I try it.

I've found 1 site ending on ".eth" a long time ago. But I can't recall the domain name to access it again. What I do know is that it was possible to browse the site using the "Peername" extension on Chrome easily. I believe that the ".eth" domain name was linked to a URL like it's the case with traditional "TLDs" like ".com", ".net", etc. As of now, people are using Ethereum's ENS to link an ".eth" domain name with an ETH public address. This allows anyone to easily pay you in ETH by typing in your purchased domain name. But I believe its use cases can be expanded far beyond that of finance.

I wonder if we ever get to see webmasters interested in using ".eth" domains sometime in the future? After all, Ethereum is still facing scalability issues (which makes it slow and costly for mainstream use). For testing/experimentation, I'd like to know how to browse ".eth" sites on a mobile device. So far, the only solution seems to be installing the Peername extension on Firefox. I haven't tried this before, but if it works for other Blockchain-based domain names (like ".bit", and ".nxt") it'll be a blast to use. In this regard, the mobile version of Firefox is way ahead of its time since it's not possible to install extensions on the mobile version of Chrome yet.

Most recently, I've found an Ethereum wallet and dApp browser for mobile devices called "Cipher". If it manages to resolve ".eth" addresses in the future, it could become the gateway to the decentralized web on the go. Until the time comes for websites to use domain names ending in ".eth", it's only use case will be for sending payments on the ETH blockchain. I believe that the "vitalik.eth" domain name points to an specific ETH public address on the Blockchain. With ENS improving over time, I hope to see a vast number of sites using decentralized domains for their own benefit.

[Heisenberg_Hunter]

I guess we both had an interaction on a similar kind of topic few months ago. AFAIK, I have still not come across a mobile based browser which might help us in connecting over to the namecoin servers but the beta app of Opera might be of help to you in opening up the .eth sites. The recent March 30 updates to the mobile based web browser really do help us in having greater control over the ETH network by using IPFS storage solutions.

Here are some of the testing .eth domain sites which can used upon in Opera browser : game.portalnetwork.eth

More news on the same : https://press.opera.com/2020/03/30/opera-introduces-major-updates-to-its-blockchain-browser-on-android/

We, the crypto enthusiasts should probably move completely to a browser like Opera instead of depending on Chrome. Apart from this, the 2018 crypto wallet update is useful for newbie crypto investors as well. But, considering the security and privacy I have always been using a secure wallet like Mycelium for mobile based crypto transactions.

[Abiky]

I guess we both had an interaction on a similar kind of topic few months ago. AFAIK, I have still not come across a mobile based browser which might help us in connecting over to the namecoin servers but the beta app of Opera might be of help to you in opening up the .eth sites. The recent March 30 updates to the mobile based web browser really do help us in having greater control over the ETH network by using IPFS storage solutions.

Here are some of the testing .eth domain sites which can used upon in Opera browser : game.portalnetwork.eth

More news on the same : https://press.opera.com/2020/03/30/opera-introduces-major-updates-to-its-blockchain-browser-on-android/

We, the crypto enthusiasts should probably move completely to a browser like Opera instead of depending on Chrome. Apart from this, the 2018 crypto wallet update is useful for newbie crypto investors as well. But, considering the security and privacy I have always been using a secure wallet like Mycelium for mobile based crypto transactions.

I didn't know about that earlier. Thanks a lot! This makes Opera a very convenient web browser for the decentralized web powered by Blockchain technology. I'm surprised that Brave hasn't come up with something like this, after being heavily focused on crypto. Opera's ability to resolve ".eth" addresses could be a game changer in the long run. For what I know, Chrome is not privacy-oriented which goes against crypto/Blockchain tech's ethos. Opera is a better option right now to interact with Web 3.0. Besides, it's based on Chrome's same engine (Chromium) giving you nearly the same features as the original Chrome web browser you know and love.

At least, it'll be easy enough to browse ".eth" sites on the go using Opera within any mobile device. The real deal would be other Blockchain-based domain names ending in ".nxt" and ".bit". But I'd hardly use these since they're not that popular within the crypto space. ETH domains on the other hand, will become very popular as the Ethereum blockchain is the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap. All we need is massive adoption within the mainstream world for ".eth" sites to become a big hit.