Release Recap: Power to the People
Tags: devops, web3, blockchain, api
Published: 2023-01-19 16:39:00

Happy 2023! Last year we began sharing product updates with our [first release recap](https://medium.com/pinata/release-recap-01-weve-been-building-492171e63301?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=dev.to&utm_campaign=release_recap_2) giving users a closer look at all the improvements we’ve been hard at work on. The updates in this release have been all about improving the user experience and empowering our users to customize their experience as creators, for themselves and their audience.

There are a lot of requested features that we’ve recently shipped (hint: light’s out), and we’re excited to spread the word. This time we’ve got updates for three areas: our main [Pinata app](https://www.pinata.cloud/?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=dev.to&utm_campaign=release_recap_2) for media distribution, our no-code tool for sharing premium content, [Submarine](https://www.submarine.me/?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=dev.to&utm_campaign=release_recap_2), and our APIs for developers who want full control. Let’s get into it!

## Pinata Product Updates
_**Dark Theme**_

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/2zuyzguotrn8hixr9nvj.png)


Welcome to the dark side. One of the most requested features we’ve ever had (seriously, ever) is finally here — dark mode. And we’ve gotta say, Pinnie and the rest of our app looks pretty good dressed in black.


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/0s9tzr7iodqtoax0r4db.png)


The update has been applied across the whole app — feel free to poke around and see how things feel. Moving forward, Pinata will default to the dark theme, but you can easily change it back to the light theme by logging into your account and clicking “Settings” in the top right corner.

_**Plan Upgrade Button**_
We admit — it wasn’t always a straight-forward process to update your plan. Before, if you found yourself in need of more bandwidth or storage, you had to search through settings and billing to upgrade your account. But not anymore.

Now you can easily upgrade (or downgrade) your Pinata account by clicking on the “Upgrade Plan” button in the header area of your account. Less searching, more creating.

_**Improved Feedback System**_
In our last release recap, we mentioned that Canny, an incredible customer feedback tool, was coming soon. Well, soon is here. Now that [Canny is live across the Pinata app](https://pinata.canny.io/feature-requests?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=dev.to&utm_campaign=release_recap_2), you can easily request features, provide feedback, and report bugs. All feedback gets sent directly to our team. Send us your ideas — you might see them in a future release recap.

_**Redesigned Log in and Sign up Flow**_
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/w7ouwgs94kfhpt80szxh.png)

Last recap we teased our new log in and sign up flow. As the place where it all begins for our users, we wanted to make it a bold, seamless experience that could get you excited to create. If you haven’t seen it in action, [login to your account](https://app.pinata.cloud/?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=dev.to&utm_campaign=release_recap_2) to see it in action.

This is the first step in a larger redesign process. Stay tuned for the extreme makeover.

## Submarine Product Updates
_**Sign Up Functionality**_
We couldn’t let the Pinata app have all the fun. You can now sign up for Submarine directly from the [Submarine website](https://www.submarine.me/?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=dev.to&utm_campaign=release_recap_2)! No more having to jump from site to site. All sign up and account information is now in one place.

Along with the re-launch of the Submarine website, the signup flow changes are making it easier to create, manage and share premium content to your community. If you haven’t yet tried out Submarine or want to learn more about it, this blog post has everything you need to know.

_**Canny Implementation**_
Have a feature request? The burning desire to share feedback on something you don’t love? Thoughts on how we could improve upon existing functionality? Get involved in building Submarine with the team by [submitting feature requests](https://submarineme.canny.io/feature-requests?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=dev.to&utm_campaign=release_recap_2) and feedback through Canny, our new feedback tool seamlessly integrated into the Submarine nav bar.

_**Twitch Unlocking**_
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/l3er5tb3wy700f7nmkrc.png)

If you’re a content creator streaming on Twitch, this functionality just might be your newest obsession. In addition to our existing Submarine unlocking methods of NFT ownership, Retweets and geo-location, now you can upload content and select Twitch as your unlock method.

When using Twitch Unlocks, our [Submarine tool](https://www.submarine.me/?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=dev.to&utm_campaign=release_recap_2) checks to see if someone is a subscriber to your channel. If they are, they get access. If they aren’t, no access, but plenty of FOMO to become a subscriber and get in on the action. This means you can incentivize your audience with behind-the-scenes footage, extra highlight reels, and never-before-seen content — all distributed on a platform that gives you total ownership.

_**Geo-location**_
Speaking of unlocking upgrades, our existing geo-location functionality just got a tune-up. Rather than detecting your location or manually inputting your latitude and longitude, you can now just type in a location of your choice (ex: Times Square), select your radius, preview it on a map, and boom: geo-location parameters are set for your community to unlock.

Coachella, the Knicks game, the local DMV — just type in the location you want to require for your premium content and go.

_**Flow Support & Dapper Wallet Integration**_
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/rriyzn47i6zmnzzj7fa2.png)

NFT unlocking now supports the [Flow blockchain](https://flow.com/). Any projects built on Flow can now be used as an unlock method for content. And there are already [a lot of interesting ones](https://www.flowverse.co/projects), with plenty more to come.

Taking NFT unlocks a step further, we now also support [Dapper Wallet](https://meetdapper.com/) integration. Any Dapper Wallet project can be integrated as an unlock parameter for your latest content. Want to token gate with NFT your [NBA Top Shot NFT](https://nbatopshot.com/) or your [Flowvatar](https://twitter.com/flovatar)? Now you can!

## API Updates
_**Improved Uploads Experience in Private Beta**_
Another mention from our last recap was around fixing some of our upload issues, mainly around pinning large files efficiently and without drop-offs. We’ve been hard at work, and the beta for our new upload experience via API is now open.

This feature enables you to upload files faster and with greater success. Simply upload your file to our queue and leave the rest of the pinning details to us! We are currently supporting files around 12 GB or less (and increasing increments over time).

The in-app version of this feature is coming soon, but if you use our API, your uploads are typically less than 12 GB and you’d like to join the beta, send an email to niki@pinata.cloud and she’ll get you set up.

Whoof — that was a heavy update. But we do it because we love it, and we love to see everything our creators are building with Pinata, Submarine and our APIs. As always, feel free to [reach out to our team](https://pinata.canny.io/feature-requests?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=dev.to&utm_campaign=release_recap_2) with any questions, feedback or comments.

Happy pinning!