Pi Network’s .pi Domains Auction is picking up pace across its community, but it’s also raising questions about what people are really using it for and where it’s headed.
The auction , which began around Pi Day 2025, lets Pi users, called “Pioneers,” bid on custom domain names that end with “.pi”. These domain names are meant to do more than just sit in someone’s wallet.
Pi Network wants people to use it to link them to apps, small businesses, personal projects, or anything built inside the Pi ecosystem. The idea is to turn them into real, usable Web3 identities that lead somewhere, not just look good on paper.
Recently, the auction got a few important updates. It’s no longer tucked inside the Pi Wallet and now runs as a separate Pi app. That move has allowed the team to roll out new features, including a live stats page showing which domains have the most bids, the highest prices, and what’s currently trending. The interface has also been refined, and email notifications are expected soon.
But while community participation is rising, much of the activity is being driven by domain squatting. Bidders are aggressively going after generic names and brand-adjacent terms, similar to patterns seen in early Web2 and with Ethereum’s ENS, raising concerns that most domains are being purchased for speculative resale, not for actual development.
The Pi Core Team has noticed this trend. In a recent blog post, they made it clear that .pi domains weren’t meant to be bought just for collecting or reselling. Their real purpose, they said, is to be used as web addresses for actual apps and services built within the Pi Network, like online stores, blogs, or other tools that people can use.
To move the project in that direction, Pi Network says it’s developing tools to make app creation more accessible to domain holders. These include builder interfaces, notifications, and simplified integration features. However, none of these tools has gone live yet.
While the auction reflects growing interest in Pi Network’s digital infrastructure, the project’s success will ultimately depend on whether those domains evolve into working products, not just digital real estate.
