Pi Network Begins Ninth Protocol Upgrade Ahead of Final Version 27

Pi Network (PI) saw a modest rise as the Pi Core Team began rolling out Protocol 26, the first of two remaining upgrades to its Mainnet.

Node operators have until August 11 to finish the update to maintain their connection to the Mainnet.

Pi Network Sets an August 11 Deadline for Node Operators

The Pi Core Team announced the rollout on Wednesday and directed operators to its node page for instructions.

“This migration is straightforward and should complete in under 5 minutes; in rare cases, restarts may take longer—please allow them to finish. Do not perform it to all of your nodes at the same time,” the instructions read.

Protocol 26 is the ninth protocol upgrade Pi has shipped over the past few months. Protocol 27 will close the current sequence.

The team stated that together, the two releases will bring the Mainnet up to date with the network’s latest protocol features and functionality.

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Upgrade News Lifts PI Price, but Rallies Keep Fading

Meanwhile, PI price ticked higher on the upgrade development. The token was up 6.66% to $0.0822 over 24 hours, outpacing the broader crypto market’s 0.71% gain.

A similar reaction followed the network’s product work. PI gained more than 3.5% in mid-July when Pi redesigned its mining app menu and profile page.

The rebound remains narrow, however. PI trades down 11.7% over the past 7 days and 29% over the past 30 days.

Earlier upgrades produced the same pattern. Pi activated Protocol 25 on July 22, and PI briefly tagged $0.103 days earlier before losing the $0.10 level.

Supply explains part of that ceiling. PiScan data showed roughly 4.25 million PI unlocking each day, with about 1.71 billion scheduled to enter circulation over 12 months.

The August 11 cutoff hands traders another dated catalyst. Prior deadlines delivered short bounces rather than a durable trend, and the upcoming upgrades will test whether that changes.

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