Pi Network, the cryptocurrency project with a global community of millions, is pushing forward with major upgrades to its blockchain infrastructure, with a February 15th deadline for Mainnet node operators. The Core Team announced the impending changes, emphasizing progress toward a decentralized network while maintaining a phased rollout strategy.
According to the Pi Network team, over 16 million Pioneers have already migrated to the Mainnet. The project aims to establish its node system as a foundational element of a large-scale, identity-focused blockchain ecosystem. The upcoming “series of upgrades” require all Mainnet nodes to complete an initial step by February 15th to remain connected to the network, the team stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“Important reminder for Nodes: The Pi Mainnet blockchain protocol is currently undergoing a series of upgrades. The deadline for the first upgrade step is February 15. All Mainnet nodes must complete this step to remain connected to the network,” the official Pi Network account posted on February 11, 2026.
Pi Nodes, which operate on laptops and desktop computers rather than mobile devices, play a crucial role in validating transactions and maintaining the distributed ledger. However, Pi Network utilizes the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP) rather than a proof-of-work system like Bitcoin, resulting in different responsibilities for its nodes. These nodes function by forming trusted groups, known as quorum slices and leveraging security circles from mobile miners to create a global trust graph. Consensus is achieved through these established trust relationships, rather than through competitive mining.
The Pi Network ecosystem features three levels of participation. Users can access the Pi App interface to check balances, chat, and utilize internal applications. Node participation allows users to verify blockchain validity, submit transactions, and operate the blockchain component. The highest level, SuperNodes, are considered the “backbone of the blockchain,” responsible for consensus, ledger maintenance, and network synchronization. SuperNodes operate 24/7 with stable connectivity and are selected by the Core Team following Know Your Customer (KYC) approval.
While the Core Team announced the upcoming upgrades and the February 15th deadline, the announcement prompted a wave of questions and concerns from the Pi Network community. Many users expressed frustration over the lack of clarity regarding the second migration phase and inquired about the timeline for migrating their Pi tokens to the Mainnet. Others requested more detailed information about the upgrades and sought clarification on the status of missing tokens, according to reports.
The Pi Network continues to emphasize KYC verification as a critical step in the Mainnet migration process, with recent updates indicating that more Pioneers are being unblocked and new authentication methods are being explored. The enforcement of two-factor authentication (2FA) for node operators is similarly underway as the upgrade deadline approaches.
