Helium Solana Transition. The day after.

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Numerous changes are underway in the Helium ecosystem, as they have made the shift from using their blockchain to the Solana blockchain. As a result, several new modifications may become noticeable, and I will discuss a few of them that could potentially impact you.

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R.I.P Blue Helium app.

To begin with, it's worth noting that the blue Helium app is no longer in use. This particular app is exclusively reserved for the original Helium hotspots and FreedomFi. It is commonly referred to as the "Makers" app. For all other types of hotspots, you will need to make use of their respective maker apps. The complete list of these apps can be found here: https://docs.helium.com/hotspot-makers/maker-apps/.

With the discontinuation of the blue wallet, it is crucial for all users to switch to the Black Helium wallet as their primary wallet. You can download it here: https://docs.helium.com/wallets/helium-wallet-app/ This wallet will store all tokens, including IOT, HNT, MOBILE, WIFI, VPN, and others. It must be used in conjunction with the maker apps mentioned earlier. Fortunately, creating a new wallet is unnecessary. Instead, you can simply click on the migration button that appears. If you do not see this button, you can re-enter the 12-24 words from the blue app into the black wallet, and this will take care of everything.

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No more mining HNT. Long live IOT.

The second change you may have already noticed is that your LoRa miners no longer mine HNT. However, there is no need to worry because your miner is still useful, as it has merely switched to mining IOT tokens instead of HNT. To sell your IOT tokens, you will have to convert them into HNT and then sell the HNT on an exchange of your preference. The good news is that you don't need to do anything to your LoRa miner since it has already been automatically switched over to mining IOT tokens.

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Mobile tokens can now be traded.

It is now possible to trade mobile tokens, although their recent launch in the market means that they are currently trading at a low price. Trading can be done using decentralized exchanges such as https://www.orca.so/ or in the Black Helium app. As more HNT enters the treasury, it is expected that the prices of mobile tokens will increase. In my opinion, it would be wise to hold off on trading them at their current low prices and wait for the price to rise.

Free Solana 🤑

There is some free Solana available in your wallet! If you haven't noticed yet, you should have a small amount of Solana in the black Helium app, which is intended to cover transaction fees. This amount should be sufficient for around 100 transactions.

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Got problems with the Black Helium app crashing?

There is a straightforward solution to this problem. An update has been released that needs to be installed. To resolve this issue, go to the app store on your Android or iOS device and ensure that you have downloaded the latest version of the Black app.

The new Helium explorer.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Helium explorer has undergone a complete overhaul. You can explore the new version of the explorer at this link: https://explorer.helium.com/

That concludes the major changes that might impact you. There are many more technical changes happening behind the scenes, and those who are interested can review the HIPS: https://github.com/helium/HIP

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