Pi Network Team Outlines Guidelines for App That Locates PI Coin-Accepting Merchants: Pi Commerce Hackathon

Key takeaways:

• Pi Network is holding a hackathon for its community to develop an app that locates local merchants accepting PI coins.
• Pi Network has outlined specific requirements for the commerce app, including using Pi SDK, following data practices, and having English descriptions.
• The hackathon kicks off today, with teams having 1 month to build the Commerce App based on a prototype. The winning app gets featured on Pi Day.

The Pi Network recently announced an upcoming hackathon on Jan 23, challenging its global community of Pioneers to build an app for locating local businesses accepting PI, their cryptocurrency.

This “Pi Commerce Hackathon” came after a successful last year decemeber PiFest event highlighted the strong demand to connect PI-accepting merchants and customers searching for places to spend their PI.

To resolve this, the PI team has decided to sponsor the hackathon for its Pioneers to build a  Commerce App prototype into a fully functional application, to allow users to find nearby stores accepting PI, make easy PI payments and so much more.

Following this, the Pi team has outlined detailed guidelines and requirements for hackathon participants to follow in developing their apps. The hackathon is expected to kick off today, Feb. 1st with the release of the app prototype that developers can build on using Pi’s open source software license. 

Teams will then have one month to collaborate on building the most useful, user-friendly app possible based on the prototype and guidelines. Key requirements from Pi include:

• Apps must use only Pi SDK for payments and user authentication. No additional logins or account creation can be required.
• Submissions must be deployed on the Pi Testnet for testing prior to judging. 
• Apps must adhere to Pi’s data collection guidelines and not gather any non-essential user data. 
• Apps should have an English name and description.
• Apps must follow Pi trademark guidelines in usage.
• Apps cannot request Pioneer passphrases for any reason.
• Apps should have a privacy policy.
• Apps must be minimally functional with UI supporting user interactions.

Moreover, developers must register for the hackathon to participate, and have also been instructed to get the app prototype and mockups via the network’s GitHub page.

In addition, they are encouraged to form teams combining complementary skills for the greatest chance of success. While closely following the prototype and guidelines, participants can add unique, localized features to make the app their own.

According to the announcement, the winning team will have their app featured on Pi Day, March 14th, gaining worldwide exposure to Pi’s vast user base. They may also receive hosting support from Pi to remove barriers like server costs.

Submissions are due March 3rd, and winners will be announced on Pi Day. This presents an exciting opportunity for Pioneer developers to meaningfully contribute to growing real-world utility and adoption for Pi.

With clear guidelines and prototypes in place, Pi developers now have the tools needed to create an app to connect PI businesses and customers locally.