Babylon Upgrade FAQ | The Radix Blog | Radix DLT

The Babylon mainnet upgrade is an exciting time, and there are naturally many questions about the process of moving from Olympia to Babylon. The below is a consolidated FAQ covering each part of the migration.

If you have a question that is not covered below, you can ask in the official Telegram or Discord listed below.  

Q. What is the Babylon Upgrade? ‍

A. On or around September 27th, the Radix Olympia Mainnet will upgrade to the Radix Babylon Mainnet. 

The Babylon Mainnet upgrade enables powerful smart contract functionality for the Radix network, kickstarting a live DeFi Ecosystem. Babylon marks the launch of Radix’s Full Stack for DeFi, which includes the Radix Wallet, empowering users with human-readable transactions, trade guarantees, Native Assets, and Personas; all wrapped in a mobile-first experience that can switch seamlessly to desktop when needed via Radix Connect.

Q. Is there anything I need to do to prepare for the Babylon Migration?

A. No action is required from users. All existing assets, stake, and accounts will automatically be migrated. There will be an easy way to transition from the current Radix Desktop Wallet to the new Babylon Radix Wallet for iOS and Android. A video guide will be released prior to the migration.  

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Network 

Q. How long will it be from when Olympia shuts down to when I’m using the Babylon network?

A. The Radix Babylon Wallet will go live on both the App Store and Google Play once the migration is complete. The exact timing of your access will depend on how fast the Radix Wallet becomes available in your region. We estimate 2-3 hours if the App Store and Google Play are not experiencing unusually high propagation delays.

Q. How will the upgrade from Olympia to Babylon happen?‍

A. Step 1 – Olympia Shutdown

Network epoch 32718 will be the last epoch for the Olympia protocol.  All Olympia nodes that have adopted the final version of the Olympia node will deterministically calculate the final state of the network, which will serve as the genesis of Babylon.  This process is expected to take about 5 minutes, after which they will serve up that final state to anyone who asks for it.  Olympia nodes will continue to provide information about past transactions but will not accept new transactions for processing and will not listen to any nodes broadcasting that they’re trying to start new consensus rounds. This is the point where the existing Olympia Desktop Wallet will cease to work.

Step 2 – Babylon Genesis

Babylon validator nodes will already be running ahead of the Olympia shutdown and will be polling Olympia nodes, asking if they have an end state to use for genesis yet.  Once the end state is available, they will copy it over, begin ingesting it, and construct the correct Babylon genesis state.  This is estimated to require roughly 15-20 minutes but depends on each node’s processing power and I/O speed.  As each node completes its individual handling of genesis, it will attempt to begin consensus using the Babylon network protocol.  As soon as validators representing 2/3rds of the delegated stake have completed this process, Babylon will officially be underway!

Step 3 – Core Services Come Online

Once Foundation nodes have completed genesis, the Gateway Service will begin aggregating data for Babylon.  This is expected to require 20-30 minutes to complete, after which it will be caught up with the network and open for business.

After the Gateway has caught up, Radix’s official Babylon-related websites and dApps, such as the Dashboard, will go online.  This will include a new version of the official wallet download page at wallet.radixdlt.com. 

Step X – Wallets Are Published

The Radix Connector Extension, which enables connectivity to the mobile wallets, will go live in the Chrome Web Store and be available for installation.

An end-of-life version of the Radix Olympia Desktop Wallet will be released, which knows that Olympia has completed, and will expose the export process by which users can easily migrate over to the Babylon Radix Wallet. If you are already running the Radix Olympia Desktop Wallet, it will appear in-app as an upgrade to v1.6.  A direct download link will also be available from the updated wallet.radixdlt.com under “Need to migrate from the old Radix Olympia Desktop Wallet?”.

Meanwhile, the pre-approved iOS and Android Radix Wallets will be flipped to live in the App Store and Google Play.  Due to regional propagation delays in both platforms, some regions may see the applications sooner than others.

As soon as the appropriate Wallet is available in your region, you’re all set to install and get started with Babylon.

Step X – Third-Party Integrations Come Online

All third-party services wishing to continue operating on Babylon must change their systems to understand the many novel facets of the new protocol.  The development team has been diligently polling and supporting all known partners, including exchanges, to make sure that they are prepared for Babylon.  Public documentation and tooling for this has been present since the initial RCnet release in March, and the good news is that the response has been extremely positive.  

Each service provider has their own choice to make on when to go live for Babylon.  While the development team will continue to keep them updated as the date approaches, if you have questions about the predicted availability of a particular exchange or service, then your best bet is to ask them directly.

Step 6 – Third-Party dApps Go Live

As with third-party off-ledger services, each dApp developer must decide their own ship date.  The network and associated tooling will all be ready on release day, so if you are counting on a particular application being available, then please talk with its developer.

Q. What is the exact date for Babylon migration? 

A. The migration will occur on or around September 27th. 

Because all this update logic is tied to epoch numbers, which don’t have perfectly predictable durations on Olympia, there’s some educated guesswork at play here in order to achieve the desired calendar date of September 27th.  

The last protocol update includes a minimum update epoch, which is targeted, based on average network speed over time, to occur on that date.  If validators meeting the stake threshold (79%, in this case) have cast their vote by then, Olympia will enact the shutdown sequence.  If the network runs faster or slower than average until the Babylon update epoch, it will be a little sooner or later. 

Updates will be provided via official announcement channels as we approach the migration. 

Q. What happens to all the existing tokens?

A. All tokens that exist on Olympia will be automatically moved to Babylon. Once you install the new Babylon wallet, you can import your Olympia wallet and view all tokens and staked XRD. 

All tokens will be upgraded to become the new style of native resources on Babylon and will be located in smart accounts controlled by the same keys that controlled their Olympia accounts.

Q. Will I be able to access my assets during the migration? Will they be safe? 

A. Your assets are safe. 

There will be a short period of time during the migration when you may not be able to access your assets. 

After the migration is successful, the new Babylon Wallet will become available in your chosen app store. You will be able to install and use a simple export process to move your accounts to the new wallet.   

The Olympia wallet will not be able to initiate new transactions, and your account balances will always appear to be the same as they were at the conclusion of Olympia.

The RDX Works team is working closely with exchanges to provide a smooth transition and minimize downtime. 

Q. What happens to staked XRD?  Do I need to restake?

A. There’s no need to retake, and you shouldn’t, as your stake helps maintain network security!  Your stake positions will be unchanged, and you’ll automatically receive Liquid Stake Units to represent those positions in the appropriate smart accounts as part of the migration process.

Once you download the new wallet, you will follow a simple export process that will make all your accounts, tokens, and staked XRD visible in the new wallet. 

Q. What happens to the tokens held by various applications on Olympia?

A. Remember that there are no smart contracts on Olympia. Those applications that users can currently interact with on the Olympia network are running off-network and simply hold tokens in normal accounts, which will be migrated like any others. 

Q. What happens to network addresses?

A. Babylon addresses have a different scheme, so all Olympia addresses will need to be mapped to their Babylon equivalent. You will no longer be able to send transactions to Olympia addresses.   

You will see your new account addresses automatically as part of their migration process, and they are clearly viewable in the Babylon wallet. A web tool will be made available which can do the mapping and devs/integrators will be able to use the Radix Engine Toolkit to programmatically map addresses.

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Wallet 

Q. Where will I download the new wallet? ‍

Q. https://wallet.radixdlt.com is the only place to download the wallet; it will direct you to the correct app and browser extension.

Be wary of any potential scams. Double-check the URL before taking any action. 

A step-by-step video guide for upgrading from the Radix Olympia Wallet will be released before the migration occurs. 

Q. What is the process to move my accounts to the Babylon Wallet?

A. An easy-to-follow video guide will be released prior to the migration. 

If your accounts are held in the Radix Olympia Desktop Wallet, whether using it alone or with a Ledger hardware wallet, migration will be intuitive and easy to do.  With just a few clicks, the desktop wallet will pop up a QR code, which you’ll scan with your Babylon mobile wallet, bringing across all your known accounts and the names you assigned them.  

Next, you’ll type in your seed phrase, and you’re done.  Ledger hardware device users will need to connect their Babylon mobile wallet to the Radix Connector browser extension and then connect their Ledger device during the import process and follow some prompts.

If you use a wallet other than the Radix Olympia Desktop Wallet, it’s very likely that all you’ll need is your seed phrase in order to migrate successfully.  Try entering your seed phrase into the Radix Olympia Wallet and see if you’re able to recover successfully and see your same accounts (remember, you may need to “Add Software Account” within the Wallet multiple times to see them all).  If so, you’re all set.

Q. I use a Ledger hardware wallet on the Olympia network. How will the transition to Babylon work for me?

A. Just as with all Olympia accounts, they will automatically migrate over – you don’t need to move your tokens or stakes, and you will be able to use your Ledger with the same accounts on Babylon. There will be a new Radix app* to load onto your Ledger device, and the process described above to access your accounts from the Babylon wallet will work with Ledger, too.

*pending approval from Ledger

Q. Can I import multiple wallets with different seed phrases into the Babylon Wallet?

A. Yes. The import process will allow you to condense your Olympia wallet along with wallets developed by 3rd party developers into your Babylon wallet. A video walkthrough showing this process will be published before the migration. 

Q. I don’t wish to use a mobile wallet. How will I be able to access my tokens on Babylon?

A. There are no plans for an official desktop-native wallet; however, you’ll be able to connect to your desktop browser using Radix Connect easily.

Q. Do I have to upgrade to the Babylon Wallet right away after the network update?

A. You can set up your Babylon mobile wallet whenever you’re ready; there’s no rush.

While your assets and stake will automatically move, you will need to upgrade to the new wallet to continue using the Radix network. 

Your stakes will still operate and earn emissions without any action on your part, and your tokens will all be migrated as part of the network upgrade. 

Q. Will the Radix Olympia Wallet still function after the upgrade?

A. Partially Its only purpose at that point will be to let you smoothly export to the Babylon-compatible mobile wallets.  It will not be able to initiate new transactions, and your account balances will always appear to be the same as they were at the conclusion of Olympia.

Q. Will I still be able to see Olympia transaction history after the upgrade?

A. Yes, existing explorers utilizing the Olympia Network Gateway can continue to operate, but that data will be forever frozen, and there are no plans to display Olympia and Babylon transactions in a single place.

The Radix Explorer present at https://explorer.radixdlt.com will continue to operate for at least three years and will show the end state of Olympia. After the Babylon migration is complete, the Olympia explore can be found at olympia-explorer.radixdlt.com.

The final Olympia state used to form Babylon genesis will not include the history of all transactions. Olympia transaction data will not be visible to Babylon nodes.

Q. When will the wallet be available in the app store?

A. v1 of the Babylon wallet will be made available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store once the network has successfully migrated. Announcements will be made in official channels as soon as it’s live, and https://wallet.radixdlt.com will be updated.  

Q. The wallet has been released, but I cannot see it in the app store! 

A. The new wallet may be available in different geographies at different times. Check back periodically until it is available.

Q. Will I be able to store USDC, Bitcoin, or Ethereum in my Radix Wallet?

A. You will be able to hold wrapped versions of these assets in your wallet. Wrapped assets are typically accessed via a bridge, and there may be multiple avenues to bridge or access wrapped assets. Wrapped assets may also become available on both centralized and decentralized exchanges over time.  As with all third-party applications or assets, users should always ensure they are using services/assets they trust.   

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Exchanges 

Q. When will exchanges listing XRD enable deposits/withdrawals?

A. The RDX Works team is working closely with exchanges to minimize exchange downtime. Once deposits and withdrawals are enabled, it will be conveyed to official announcement channels:

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Q. Will my deposit address on the exchange change?

A. Yes. You can no longer use the Olympia account address once the Babylon Migration has occurred. Your new account addresses are clearly marked at the top of each account in the new wallet. 

Q. Will Radix be listed on DeFi Llama and Dapp Radar?

A. Work is underway to facilitate third-party on-chain analytics services for the Radix Network. More details will be announced post-Babylon.  

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General 

Q. Once Babylon successfully migrates, how long will it take for dApps to be available?

A. dApps on Radix will start to come online over the following days and weeks, this will be dependent on each project, and they will provide updates directly.  

Q. Is there a support email I can reach out to for questions or issues related to the wallet migration?

A. You can always ask for help in the official Radix Telegram or Discord; this is monitored by RDX Works staff, Radix Ambassadors, and experienced community members.

RDX Works does not have any customer support via DM. Anyone privately messaging you in response to an issue will be a scammer.    

If your question cannot be answered, you can contact [email protected]. 

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Services 

Instapass and Instabridge are owned and operated by Metaverse (Radix) Limited. 

The below information has been provided by them, for any follow-up questions, please contact [email protected] or [email protected] 

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Official Links