Sam Altman’s World App Launches Encrypted World Chat Messenger & Expanded Crypto Payments for Verified Users

World, the biometric identity network cofounded by Sam Altman’s Tools for Humanity, has released a major update to its mobile app, introducing an end-to-end encrypted messenger and expanded crypto-linked payments aimed at boosting everyday utility for its “proof-of-human” platform.

The new World Chat feature functions as a full, Signal-style encrypted messenger built directly into the app, while the upgraded payments layer now supports virtual bank accounts, payroll deposits and bank-to-app transfers that can be converted into cryptocurrency.

Conversations in World Chat will display clear indicators showing whether the person on the other side has a verified World ID, using colour-coded cues to promote verification without blocking chats with unverified users.

Notably, World says biometric verification is not required to access the new payments capabilities. a move that could help widen adoption even as the company continues pushing its World ID identity system.

World Features

Tools for Humanity’s stated mission is to create privacy-preserving ways to prove a person is human rather than a bot; broad consumer features are central to that strategy. By bundling messaging and money into the same app, World hopes to make verification more attractive and more widely adopted. a key step if the project is to move beyond niche uses and reach mainstream scale.

World’s verification relies on an iris-scan process: users are scanned by an Orb device that converts iris data into a private, encrypted World ID. The start-up says that to date it has scanned well under 20 million people, far short of the one-billion-person target Altman has spoken about. Scaling that verification footprint is one of the company’s main challenges.

Orb Minis & Future Hardware Plans

To broaden access, World introduced handheld “Orb Minis” earlier this year that let people scan their eyes from home. The company has suggested longer-term plans to licence or integrate its ID sensor into other devices and point-of-sale hardware, which would reduce the friction of getting verified.

World says chat encryption is equivalent to the strongest consumer messengers and that verification preserves privacy through encrypted identifiers rather than raw biometric storage. Still, the combination of biometric identity, messaging and financial rails raises questions about data governance, regulatory compliance and user trust. issues that privacy advocates, regulators and some public commentators have repeatedly highlighted since World first launched.

Tools for Humanity (originally Worldcoin) founded World in 2019 and launched the app in 2023. The project has attracted attention. and controversy. for its use of biometric iris scans to create unique digital IDs in a world increasingly beset by AI-generated deepfakes and automated accounts.