Home Screen and Navigation
Essentials has two operating modes that change what you see and what features are available. Understanding this is key to getting the most out of the app.
Wallet Mode: Lite vs Advanced
Essentials offers two display modes, controlled by the Wallet Mode toggle in Settings:
| Lite Mode | Advanced Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Users who want a multi-chain crypto wallet | Users involved in the Elastos ecosystem |
| Home screen | Single column of widgets, no swiping | Three swipeable columns with all widgets |
| Onboarding | "Create Wallet" / "Import Wallet" | "Create Identity" / "Import Identity" with full DID setup |
| Setup process | Creates wallet immediately, publishes DID in the background | Walks through each step (publish DID, sign in, Hive vault, wallet) with a progress bar |
| Available widgets | Wallet, coin price, network selector, recent apps, favorites, WalletConnect, notifications, sign out | Everything in Lite plus identity, staking, voting, Cyber Republic, contacts, Hive, red packets, discover dApps, backup identity, and more |
| Settings visible | Language, Privacy, Wallet Mode, Change password, About, Developer mode | All of the above plus WalletConnect sessions and Startup screen |
Who gets which mode by default
- New users (first time opening Essentials): Lite mode is the default. The onboarding says "Create Wallet" and gets you to a working wallet as fast as possible.
- Existing users (upgrading from an older version): Advanced mode is the default, preserving the full experience you already had.
Switching modes
Open Settings (gear icon) > Wallet Mode > tap the toggle. The app prompts you to restart. No data is lost when switching -- you can go back and forth at any time.
Home Screen in Lite Mode
In Lite mode, the home screen is a single column of widgets with no swiping. You get a clean, focused wallet experience with just: Active wallet, Network selector, Discover dApps, Notifications, and WalletConnect.
Home Screen in Advanced Mode
In Advanced mode, the home screen is organized into three swipeable columns. A first-time swipe hint animation shows you can swipe left and right. Dot indicators in the footer show which column you are on.
| Widget | Center | Left | Right |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active wallet | Yes | ||
| Notifications | Yes | ||
| Identity card | Yes | ||
| Hive sync | Yes | ||
| Discover dApps | Yes | ||
| Red packets | Yes | ||
| Network coin price | Yes | ||
| Recent apps | Yes | ||
| Network selector | Yes | ||
| WalletConnect | Yes | ||
| Sign out | Yes | ||
| Elastos staking | Yes | ||
| Elastos voting | Yes | ||
| Cyber Republic | Yes | ||
| Contacts | Yes | ||
| Hive | Yes |
Title Bar
The title bar at the top of the home screen has four shortcuts, available in both modes:
| Icon | Action |
|---|---|
| Home | Re-centers the view (Advanced mode: returns to center column) |
| Notifications (bell) | Opens the notification center |
| Scan (QR icon) | Opens the QR code scanner |
| Settings (gear) | Opens the Settings menu |
Customizing Widgets
You can rearrange, add, or remove widgets in both modes:
- Tap Edit in the footer of the home screen
- Drag widgets to rearrange them
- Remove widgets you do not use
- Tap Add to browse available widgets and add new ones
In Lite mode, only wallet-related widgets are available in the widget picker. In Advanced mode, the full set of widgets is available including Elastos governance, identity, and community widgets.
QR Scanner
The scanner (accessible from the title bar) handles multiple types of content automatically:
| Content | Action |
|---|---|
| WalletConnect URI | Starts a WalletConnect pairing session |
DID string (did:elastos:...) | Opens DID-related actions (add contact, view profile) |
| URL | Opens in the dApp browser (or external browser if built-in browser is disabled) |
| Wallet address | Prepares a send transaction to that address |
| Other text | Passed to the app for context-specific handling |
You do not need to choose what to scan. Point the camera at any QR code and Essentials determines the action.
Startup Screen
This setting is hidden in Lite mode.
By default, Essentials opens to the Home screen after sign-in. You can change this in Settings:
- Open Settings (gear icon in the title bar)
- Go to Startup screen
- Choose between Home (default), Wallets, or dApps
This is useful if you primarily use Essentials as a wallet and want to skip straight to your balances.
Notifications
The notification center (bell icon in the title bar) shows alerts from the app such as:
- Pending transactions awaiting your signature (multi-sig)
- Governance updates (new proposals, voting periods)
- System messages and app announcements
Tap a notification to navigate directly to the relevant screen.