The next generation of onchain wallets is here. Swappers and onchain users are upgrading to smart wallets, which enable one-click swaps, gas abstraction and a wide range of new capabilities. With teams like Uniswap Labs rolling out smart wallet support across their apps, the smart wallet era is officially underway.
What is a smart wallet?
Until recently, most crypto wallets were what’s known as an “EOA” (externally owned account). With EOAs, every time you wanted to swap, send assets to another wallet, or perform other onchain transactions, it took multiple steps to do so. Typically, that process included an approval and signature, plus paying gas fees to the network.
Smart wallets can automate these steps, so you click less and avoid extra friction. But what exactly is a smart wallet, besides a great time-saver?
A smart wallet is a type of crypto wallet that keeps you in full control of your assets, just like a traditional self-custody wallet, but it’s powered by smart contracts rather than simple EOAs, and can be programmed to automate approvals, gas payments and more.
The move from EOAs to smart wallets is like upgrading from dial-up internet to modern WiFi: most of the complicated steps happen behind the scenes, so you can just click and go.
What’s possible with smart wallet UX?
Smart wallets, like the Uniswap Wallet, simply the experience of using onchain apps and support expanded features right out of the box. Since smart wallets are programmable, they can be designed in different ways. Features may include:
- Bundled transactions: Combine multiple actions (like “approve + swap”) into one. The Uniswap Web App and Wallet support one-click swaps.
- Gas abstraction: Pay network costs in any supported token, so you never get stuck swapping ETH just to cover fees.
- Gas sponsorship: Apps or sponsors can choose to cover your gas fees, so you can transact with zero out-of-pocket network costs.
- Automation & programmability: Apps can be programmed to enable recurring trades, dollar-cost averaging (DCA), auto-rebalance portfolios, or execute complex strategies without manual workflows.
- Built-in recovery options: If you ever lose your wallet’s private key, you can use Passkeys or even enlist trusted contacts to get back into your wallet.
- Upgradability & delegation: Delegate permissions to upgrade wallet logic over time so your wallet evolves as standards and features improve.
Every new Uniswap Wallet has one-click swaps available today, with additional features like gas abstraction rolling out in the future to enhance your onchain experience.
And if you already have an EOA, you may be able to delegate permissions to enable smart wallet features. All Uniswap Wallet users can do so in just a few clicks!
Welcome to the smart wallet era
Smart wallets are now live in Uniswap Wallet and supported in the Uniswap Web App. If you already use Uniswap Wallet, simply head to Settings → Smart Wallet to delegate your existing wallet.
