Pectra Is Here: What It Unlocks for Onchain Builders

Onchain UX just leveled up

The Pectra upgrade is one of the most meaningful shifts in EVM infrastructure as it promises to bring Account Abstraction to the masses. Account Abstraction Removes one of the biggest UX barriers: gas. But that's not all.

With Pectra, the user experience is faster, smoother, and ready for the apps users actually want: ones that just work.

Here’s what changes:

No more gas confusion: Users don’t need to know what “gas” is or hold ETH to transact.
Batch transactions: Everything can happen in one go. Fewer clicks, fewer screens, less drop-offs.
Account automation: Smart Sessions and robo-investments can now be supported by most accounts.

In short, it’s no longer up to the user to understand crypto mechanics. Now it’s on the app and wallet to abstract them away.

Robo-investments automate portfolio management so anyone can invest confidently without needing to be an expert

That’s good for the ecosystem and critical for Reown.

What is the Pectra upgrade?

Pectra brings Smart Accounts to the masses, transforming the EVM into a gas-abstracted ecosystem with native support for faster apps, automations, and composable UX.

This shift gives developers and builders the tools to create experiences that don’t rely on user education. It’s an infrastructure layer upgrade that directly improves how users onboard, transact, and stay connected.

Why it matters for UX

Today, gas is one of the top onboarding hurdles. According to our Reown UX Report data and user feedback:

48% of users reported abandoning actions due to gas issues, especially small dapp transactions and stablecoin transfers.
Over one-third of new users said they found gas mechanics confusing enough to stall onboarding altogether.
Only 13% of users say they understand smart accounts, and less than half of social wallet users know how gas abstraction works, underscoring the education gap.
Despite the growth of social wallets and smart sessions, retention remains low in part because gas-related friction breaks the flow of engagement.
“Gas error” was the second most commonly cited failure point during wallet-to-app flows, especially among newer users experimenting with NFTs or onchain payments.

By abstracting gas, Pectra removes this friction entirely. This unlocks a new kind of experience for wallets, apps, and exchanges.

What you’ll see live

MetaMask, OKX, and Ambire are already piloting key elements of this upgrade. Others are expected to follow If you’re building in this space, these capabilities are no longer “upcoming”, they’re rolling out now.

Users will experience from an end-point perspective:

No need to purchase gas: No more “Abandoned Cart” when making a transaction, purchasing, or selling crypto.
The “Direct Debit” of crypto with Smart Sessions: Allowing users not to sign EVERY transaction, everything can be done quickly and easily. Subscriptions, Loan Repayments, Trading, and in-game experience
Onchain experiences now match the ease of Web2: From limit orders to everyday payments, users can now pay for services, complete checkouts, and automate actions—all onchain, with no extra steps. It’s the simplicity people expect, built for the apps they use every day.

What’s changing under the hood?

The Pectra upgrade introduces a set of critical technical changes that will reshape how EVM dapps and wallets operate.

Pectra brings Smart Accounts to the mainstream. That means users can now interact with apps without needing ETH, can batch multiple actions into a single flow, and can rely on apps to handle logic on their behalf through secure automations.

A new EVM primitive: wallet_sendCalls (EIP-5792)

Upgraded accounts can support the wallet_sendCalls method (EIP-5792), co-authored by Reown contributors. It allows dapps and wallets to send multiple transactions in a single call, enabling features like limit orders, robo-investments, and Smart Sessions. It also introduce a new “capabilities" primitive that allows wallets to disclose additional features such as the ability for apps to sponsor the gas.

Apps no longer need to teach users how gas works. They just need to work.

New capabilities unlocked:

Gasless onboarding via token-sponsored or app-sponsored transactions
Automated UX: think robo-investments or limit orders executed on behalf of users
Smart Sessions: delegate signing power in a secure, time-limited session

Direct UX wins for users

Users don’t need to buy or hold ETH to interact with apps
Batch actions reduce wallet switching and context loss
Sessions eliminate repetitive confirmations and improve retention

What does this mean for AppKit and WalletKit

Reown’s Chain Abstraction Stack is already positioned to make the most of this shift.

AppKit now supports gasless flows, session-based automation, and batch transaction logic, all with a single integration. For dapp developers, this unlocks powerful use cases like robo-yield apps, embedded token swaps, and checkout flows that just work.

WalletKit gains session key support and batched calls. Wallet teams can reduce app switching and improve performance without compromising user control or security. The result is a faster, smoother connection layer that keeps users engaged.

Why Reown is ahead of the curve

Most onchain infra is still catching up to EIP-5792. Reown helped write it.

By embedding support across AppKit and WalletKit, Reown becomes the fastest path for builders to deploy gas-abstracted experiences that scale. And since these capabilities are baked into our SDKs, adoption is as simple as updating your version and enabling the new methods.

This isn’t a future roadmap. It’s available now.

How to get ready as an app

To take full advantage of Pectra:

Upgrade your app to leverage wallet_sendCalls for supported wallets
Review integration guidance in the Reown Docs (linked from the Dashboard)
Test Smart Sessions and batch flows in a sandbox environment

How to get ready as a wallet

To take full advantage of Pectra:

Start supporting wallet_sendCalls
Consider supporting Smart Sessions and app-sponsored gas

What’s next for the ecosystem

Pectra is the beginning of a new UX standard. As Smart Accounts become the norm, expect to see:

Subscription-based dapps
Loan repayments made simple
Walletless games with persistent sessions
Better gameplay, no need for users to sign every transaction
Staking positions can be automatically renewed
No need to manually do every action, some things can be automated through AI Agents and Smart Sessions.
Automated, gasless DeFi experiences

This unlocks new categories of applications, and Reown is building the SDKs, specs, and infrastructure to support them all.

Final thoughts: for builders

Pectra removes friction and puts the power of automation directly into your hands. If you're building the next generation of onchain apps or wallets, this upgrade is your catalyst.

Pectra closes the gap between what crypto can do and what users want. For builders, it’s a chance to deliver truly the best (so far) onchain experiences, and Reown is here to help you do just that.

Reown is ready to help you ship. Visit the Reown Dashboard to get started.