Hey Wallet, the non-custodial Solana-based social wallet, has announced it will be shutting down all of its products after nearly five years of operation.

 

Hey Wallet, which was launched in 2021 during a Solana hackathon, was founded to make sending cryptocurrencies as simple as using social media by allowing people to transfer SOL directly via Twitter/X handles.

 

Thus, instead of having to copy long wallet addresses, Hey Wallet leverages users' X handles or social usernames. Since it was linked to users' social accounts, Hey Wallet enabled transactions to occur seamlessly in-app through users' social accounts, while allowing users to retain control of their private keys.

 

Although the team did not explicitly state the reason for the closure, Hey Wallet's shutdown comes at a time when several crypto companies, including crypto wallets, have shut down or strategically pivoted into other sectors such as AI.

 

On September 1 of this year, the non-custodial wallet Cosmostation ceased its operations after previously announcing that users should export their private keys and assets before the shutdown, a similar move made by Cyberwallet last month.

 

Other crypto wallets, such as Magic Eden Wallet, have had to repivot and change their operational focus, shifting from being a multi-chain wallet to a Solana-focused wallet.

 

Coinbase and MetaMask have also made similar changes to their wallet operations. For Coinbase, the Base App was rebranded back to Coinbase Wallet, with a focus on multi-chain trading, while MetaMask split from its parent company, Consensys, and continued operating as an independent consumer-focused wallet company.