Why do I lose my context every time I jump between dApps?
08-Sep-2025
In traditional apps, context follows you around.
If you leave a draft email in Gmail, it’s there when you come back.
Spotify remembers the song you were playing when you switch devices.
Even something as simple as browser tabs sync across sessions.
This continuity makes digital systems feel stable and predictable.
In Web3, that sense of persistence breaks down. Each time you open a new dApp, it feels like starting from scratch. You reconnect your wallet, re-approve permissions, and often have to remember what you were trying to do in the first place. Instead of moving seamlessly through an ecosystem, you re-establish your identity and intent over and over again.
This isn’t just a small inconvenience, it undermines the very promise of composability. If Web3 apps are supposed to work like Lego blocks, users shouldn’t feel like they’re re-building the foundation each time they switch apps.
Why context keeps breaking
App-centric design — Most dApps assume they are the user’s “home base.” They don’t account for journeys that span across multiple tools, so continuity is never prioritized.
Ephemeral permissions — Wallet connections and approvals are often temporary or require re-signing. This adds safety but also fragments the flow.
On-chain ≠ full context — While assets and transactions are global, off-chain state — preferences, drafts, filters — is isolated within each dApp. That state rarely carries over.
No handoff standards — Moving between apps feels like jumping between unrelated websites. There’s no agreed system for passing context (e.g., “user was browsing X tokens on app A, now opening app B”).
UX opportunities
Portable sessions Instead of requiring constant re-connection, apps could let users carry a session across contexts, ideally with clear boundaries for safety.
Cross-app handoffs Just as “Sign in with Google” simplified Web2 transitions, Web3 needs a trustable equivalent that moves not just identity, but current state.
Memory layers Design for persistence of preferences — default networks, watchlists, or token filters — so users feel continuity, not reset.
Continuity cues Subtle signals like showing “You’re still connected as X address” or “Carrying over last action: staking 20 tokens” help users orient.
Delegated trust Allow safe, granular approvals (“allow this session for 24h”) so users don’t need to constantly reconfirm without losing security.
Why it matters
Without continuity, every dApp feels like an island. Users don’t experience Web3 as an ecosystem of composable parts — they experience it as fragmented checkpoints. For builders, this means higher drop-off rates and more abandoned flows. For users, it creates fatigue and erodes trust.
Fixing continuity isn’t about adding features; it’s about designing an experience where actions feel connected, journeys feel progressive, and intent carries across contexts. When users stop feeling like they’re starting over in every dApp, Web3 will finally start to resemble the interoperable system it claims to be.
Why do I lose my context every time I jump between dApps? was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
