Pi Network Shares KYC Update But Community Backlash Floods In

Pi Network’s April 2026 progress update revealed that the network has now surpassed 18.1 million fully verified users and completed over 16.72 million mainnet migrations.

According to the update, April alone saw more than 100,000 KYC approvals and 30,000 mainnet migrations. 

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Pi Network’s KYC Update Triggers Pioneer Backlash

The latest figures come after the Pi Core Team explained that its in-app Know Your Customer (KYC) system combines human reviewers with AI-powered fraud detection. 

The network stated that over 1 million individuals have collectively processed around 526 million verification tasks, helping confirm nearly 18 million unique identities. 

Each application reportedly undergoes roughly 30 separate verification checks before approval, in an effort to reduce the number of duplicate or fraudulent accounts.

Nonetheless, Pioneers flooded the announcement with complaints. Commenters said tentative approvals had remained pending for extended periods.

“The @PiCoreTeam  promised a decentralized revolution, but for millions of Pioneers, the only thing ‘decentralized’ is the hope of passing KYC. It’s been 7 years down the line with no hope in sight,” one user wrote.

Pioneers Demanding Fixes For Pi Network KYC Approval Issues. Source: X

Pi Core Team Responds to Pioneer Concerns on KYC

Nonetheless, the Pi Core Team told BeInCrypto that Pi’s KYC review process is intentionally conservative. The team said effective KYC should not allow every account to pass easily, which is exactly the intent of running a strong KYC process in the first place.

They added that if applications were approved without sufficient verification, it would:

• Duplicate accounts could migrate to Mainnet, harming the ecosystem• Rewards and participation would become distorted, creating unfairness• Applications and services would not be able to rely on user authenticity, diluting this Pi resource.

“Maintaining a verified, one-person-per-account structure ensures that Pi Network remains fair, secure, and usable. Since Pi rolled out a system process upgrade in October 2025, more than 3.36 million Pioneers have moved from Tentative to fully approved KYC,” the team said.

The team mentioned that resolving user concerns remains “a priority.” The outlined three steps that Pioneers who remain in Tentative status can take:

• Complete any available liveness checks in the Pi app• Ensure all submitted information is accurate and clear• Continue actively mining, which may trigger the system process checks

Pi explained that stuck Pioneers fall into different corner cases, each requiring a custom technical fix before that group can be unblocked.

“Overall, having a ‘Tentative KYC’ status does not mean rejection. It means additional verification is required before final approval. The Tentative KYC status helps ensure the integrity of the network by cautiously allowing as many real human Pioneers as possible to pass KYC, while catching and preventing as many fake and bot accounts as possible,” PCT told BeInCrypto.

Pi Coin (PI) Faces Headwinds in May

Meanwhile, amid growing user complaints, Pi Network is also facing pressure on the price front. While many altcoins have rallied with double digits in May, Pi Coin has lagged.

Its price has declined 2.6% so far this month. PI traded at $0.17 at press time, up 1.3% over the past day.

Pi Coin (PI) Price Performance. Source: BeInCrypto Markets

Still, a potential catalyst sits days away. Pi Network has set May 15 as the deadline for mainnet nodes to complete the Protocol 23 upgrade. Previously, Protocol 22 lifted PI nearly 9% before the rally faded.

Whether Protocol 23 produces durable price action remains to be seen. About 174.2 million PI tokens will enter circulation over the next 30 days, which could weigh on any rally.

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