Connecting on mobile
On mobile, you can connect your MetaMask wallet using WalletConnect. WalletConnect is an open-source protocol that allows you to use your wallet on a Web3 site via an encrypted connection. In other words, you’ll be able to connect your wallet to your CoinDesk account with the assurance your connection is protected and secure.
After tapping the “Connect Wallet” button beneath your CoinDesk balance, you’ll be presented with a screen explaining which wallets are compatible with DESK, as well as a helpful tip about using desktop if you’re a Coinbase Wallet user or if you’re a MetaMask user experiencing issues.
Select the “Connect Wallet” button featuring the blue WalletConnect logo. While our wallet functionality is in beta, you’ll see a screen detailing this distinction and encouraging readers to share their experience with us as we continue to iterate toward moving out of beta. If you’ve used other Web3 platforms, you’ll most likely find the current experience familiar, connecting your wallet and transferring your balance successfully without much guidance.
If you’re new to Web3 and/or want a bit of help, select “View connection tips” to access step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting solutions. You can find this and other educational content on the DESK EDU page. (You can also visit our Help Center and submit a request using the hyperlink in the top, right-hand corner of the Help Center.)
To proceed with connecting your wallet, “Select Continue.” You’ll be shown a list of wallets to choose from. MetaMask should be the fourth option in the first row from the top. When you see it, tap the icon. This should prompt your wallet’s app to open, and trigger a prompt asking you to approve the connection. Once the connection is confirmed, you can transfer your tokens to use throughout the DESK ecosystem.
Once you’ve approved the connection, your wallet will be connected to coindesk.com on the browser you used to connect. If you access coindesk.com from another browser, you’ll still be able to accrue more DESK in your coindesk.com account, but you’ll have to reconnect your wallet in order to transfer.
If you do not receive a prompt inside your MetaMask app, you may need to close the app on your phone, return to coindesk.com, refresh the page and try again. If you’re trying to connect and are constantly redirected to the app store after selecting the MetaMask icon, check out “How To: Fix App Store Redirection When Connecting MetaMask via Wallet Connect on Mobile” for a few ways to successfully connect your wallet to coindesk.com.
If you’re consistently experiencing issues, you can also try to connect and transfer using the MetaMask browser extension on a desktop computer.
Connecting on desktop
If you’re using the desktop browser extension for the first time you’ll be presented with a screen where you can create a new wallet or import an existing one when you first open the extension. Importing a wallet allows you to use a wallet used in a different browser or in your mobile wallet app.
To import, find the two pill-shaped buttons stacked on top of each other at the bottom of the screen. Select the top, unfilled button labeled “Import using Secret Recovery Phrase”. You’ll then need to enter your seed phrase word for word, making sure to add spaces between words (but not after the last word). After that, you’ll pick a new password, which can be the same as your old password or a totally new password. After selecting “Import” you have access to your mobile wallet from your desktop browser extension.
Whether you created a new wallet, imported an existing one, or already had one installed in your MetaMask, the next step is the same. The first thing you need to do is select the “Connect wallet” button found beneath your CoinDesk balance, triggering a modal to appear. You’ll be presented with the desktop wallet connection options (MetaMask, CoinBase, and Wallet Connect). Select the MetaMask option.
You’ll be shown the aforementioned page explaining the details of the wallet functionality’s beta designation. To proceed with connecting your wallet, “Select Continue” This will open your Metamask app extension (if installed). Select “Next” to view the details of connecting your wallet, and “Continue” to finish connecting your wallet.
Configuring your wallet for use with DESK
While it’s not required before you transfer your balance from coindesk.com, you’ll be able to complete the configuration required by MetaMask to view your DESK tokens in your wallet and to use them in the DESK ecosystem.
The first thing you need to do is switch networks from the default Ethereum Mainnet blockchain to the Polygon Mainnet blockchain. You can do this by selecting the pill-shaped, “Ethereum Mainnet” button in the top navigation bar of the MetaMask wallet page. You’ll be taken to a page with a list of networks with “Polygon Mainnet” shown near the bottom of the page.
Select the blue “Add” hypertext to load a modal detailing various networks. Select the blue, pill-shaped button in the bottom, right-hand corner of the screen reading “Approve.” This will load a final screen confirming that you’ve successfully added the Polygon Mainnet network. Just select the blue, pill-shaped button reading “Switch Networks,” and you’re ready to move on to the final configuration needed to view DESK in your MetaMask wallet.
Once you’re on Polygon Mainnet, the final thing you’ll need to do is to import the DESK token to view it in your wallet. When viewing the “Assets” tab on the MetaMask wallet page, simply scroll down to the bottom and select the blue, “Import tokens” hyper-text. This will take you to a page asking you for the token contract address, symbol, and decimal.
DESK’s contract address is 0xEcfb24Be40f88D66Bb7A14a4bc7f22bDF6841a93. Copy and paste this address into the first field on the “Import tokens” page. The token symbol and decimal should automatically appear after pasting in the contract address. If not, the symbol is DESK and the decimal is 18.
Now you’re all set to use DESK!