Money for nothing? Be careful!
It’s good to be skeptical when someone tells you that you’ll get something for nothing, particularly when it comes to decentralized digital money. Crypto is easy to transfer, also for scammers.
That said, the competition in this field is intense and legitimate offers do exist. After all, a cryptocurrency without users is worthless. It can therefore make sense to give it away for free.
Although it may be hard to believe, the cryptocurrency Nano was originally distributed for free on the internet. At the time of writing, one Nano is worth around US$ 5.70. While the original distribution has ended, one way that you can still get some Nano for free is by using a gamified Nano wallet app called WeNano (made by the company WeNano AS, not the Nano foundation). You probably won’t get rich, but it’s fun and you might learn something.
The WeNano App
The WeNano app is available in the Play Store for Android and the App Store for iOs. You can find the links on the official WeNano website. Always make sure to install apps from legitimate sources only.
Once you’ve installed and started the app, register a new user. Choose a username, generate a new seed and copy it to a secure place (e.g. a piece of paper you put in a physical safe, a password manager app, etc.):
Anyone who knows this seed can access all the cryptocurrencies in your wallet. If you get a new phone in the future, just enter this seed to restore access to your Nano.
Getting payouts from WeNano spots
One of the features that sets this app apart and makes it very fun is the WeNano Spots (a.k.a. geographical faucets). In your wallet, tap the map icon in the bottom right corner and explore your area (give the app a little time to load the spots):
Global WeNano spots
For starters, you can use the global spot in the Pacific Ocean (it covers the whole world):
Tap on the spot, then on enter spot:
You can now chat with other users and also receive a payout (by tapping on get payout):
If this is the first time you’re getting a payout, you will need to enter and confirm your phone number via a code that will be sent by SMS.
Once this process has been completed, you should be able to get your payout, which will then show up in your wallet:
Nano is extremely fast and feeless. Please don’t assume that all cryptos are like that (because they’re not).
Local spots
The payout from global spots is quite low. You may be able to access more lucrative spots near you. You can also use the filter to show only certain types of spots:
For local spots, you need to be within a certain radius. In the screenshot above, I was not close enough to a spot in Luxembourg.
After getting within range, I was able to enter the spot and get a payout:
WeNano has recently introduced an update with new functions to prevent cheating. Depending on the spot, you may have to take a picture to prove that you’re not spoofing your location.
Just like with Pokémon Go, stay aware of your surroundings and stay safe while going out and collecting Nano.
What can you do with Nano?
Once you have some Nano in your wallet, you can do many things, such as:
- Donate it to a spot somewhere (perhaps in a place where the economy is not doing well).
- Start your own spot. Just don’t be a dick and put it in your neighbor’s garden.
- Find a business that accepts Nano.
- Sell it on an exchange. Coinmarketcap has a list of all exchanges that accept Nano. If you want to do me a favor, you can use my affiliate link to sign up with my Binance, where you can currently exchange Nano for Bitcoin, Ethereum or USDT and BUSD stablecoins.
