MetaMask is it an upgrade or not

Good morning/evening
 
Well I don't know about you but for me MetaMask was the first wallet that I had other than the Helium one from the days when they had their own blockchain. Admittedly now I do not use it much as most of my daily use is on Solana and so when I last logged in to MetaMask I had a bit of a surprise and my first reaction was uuugh. Ok so yes, it used to be a bit slow and clunky and I had sort of got used to having a different address for each chain. For me it was simple and clean and I like that.
Also it was a good job I was not in a hurry to transact, because it was not simply just plugging in the Ledger and getting on with it, it was probably an hour of updating this that and the other before I was finally able to do the transaction that I wanted to do! It is still one of the most popular wallets as for downloads, but how many of them are still active is anyone's guess.
 

 
What has changed
 

MetaMask now supports multichain accounts so it is one address for all chains which should be an improvement. It has also introduced smart accounts. 

MetaMask smart accounts supercharge your existing accounts with “smart” features without migrating your funds,
 changing your address, or creating a new account. It simply points your existing account to a MetaMask Delegator
 smart contract that performs enhanced functionality on your behalf.

Then there is the new Transaction shield, a paid optional subscription that will promise to protect you against some transaction losses and gives you 24/7 priority support

Transaction Shield is an extension of MetaMask’s security stack. Subscribers to Transaction Shield will be guaranteed against loss—up to $10,000 per month—for any transaction we deem safe.
A Transaction Shield subscription is $9.99 per month, or $99 annually, and includes:
Transaction Protection: Subscribers are guaranteed against loss up to $10,000 per month, across up to 100 eligible transactions per month.
24/7 Priority Support: Priority access to expert support whenever you need it.
You can try Transaction Shield free for 14 days. If you choose the annual plan, receive a $20 discount off the yearly fee


https://metamask

 
Now I have not read the fine print on this but I am sure there will be some amount of things that will not be covered. MetaMask has claimed that they are future proofing and making things easier and more powerful. 
 

 
Convenience at a cost
 
More features often mean more complexity. That complexity can come with some trade offs.
With multichain accounts, you now no longer have a wallet that’s tightly scoped to a single chain. Instead, one wallet controls, potentially dozens of blockchains and dozens of addresses. That’s powerful, but it also increases the attack surface, adds complexity, and requires much more careful user wallet control.
Smart accounts give the flexibility of combining approvals and swaps into one click, paying gas with different tokens, potentially easier dApp interactions. But functionally, they rely on smart contracts, meaning there’s an extra layer between you and your funds. If that smart contract layer is buggy or compromised, you’re no longer interacting directly with your keys and ETH, you’re trusting a contract. I know I already do that with DeFi and so on and even to some extent with the Ledger.
The transaction shield on paper, an Insurance, in a sense but It only applies to transactions MetaMask’s internal checks deem safe. If your wallet is compromised, or if the protocol you interact with gets exploited then guess what, yep, no cover. A bit like your car insurance, with many things not covered! More of a pay to feel safe, until you need it and then nothing.
 
Rewards
 
There are also MetaMask rewards now, you can get rewards for every trade and swap but you will have to opt in.
You will have the chance to earn a share of $30 million in $LINEA, trading fee discounts, future token allocations and exclusive offers.You will also be able to earn points for past swaps and bridging volume, so for every $1205 of historical volume you can earn 250 points. That is for all accounts, I have not joined this and will have a deeper look at it before I do and it is not available in all countries.
 
 
Jack of all trades, master of none
 

 
So MetaMask is shifting from an Ethereum based wallet to a multi chain gateway, on ramp wallet and insurance shop. to be fair I did on ramp once with MetaMask and it was very easy but a bit high on fees and that was to buy that token I talked about in last weeks article, the one at zero lol. They plan to support more blockchains (including non-EVM), offer multi SRP (secret recovery phrase) management, interface redesigns, cross device syncing, and even features like a wallet physical payment card. (Lots of exclusions on different countries)
For newcomers or users dabbling across chains, this might seem like progress. A one-stop shop for all crypto needs. But for anyone valuing simplicity, transparency and control, this shift starts to look like centralisation under the guise of convenience.
 
Kiss, Keep it simple stupid
 
Yes I like things that are simple to use, Kamino on Solana, Phantom, Jupiter and Drift to name a few, I may not be the smartest out there but when something is understandable and easy to use, with a great user interface, that is what I would rather use. More complexity just adds more possible bugs, more vulnerabilities, more user mistakes IMO.
 
Cross chain
 
I do think that some sort of cross chain compatibility is needed in crypto, especially if you hold tokens on multiple chains, or swap between various networks, or interact with different dApps, having one unified wallet, with cross chain support and easier gas payments, I just don't think this is it.
For people new in crypto, simplicity is often a barrier. Managing multiple wallets, jumping networks and handling gas fees can be really confusing. MetaMask may now be offering what many beginners actually want, which could be an easier, cleaner, less technical entry into Web 3.
 
My thoughts
 
I am not keen, perhaps as I use it more I will like it more, I will try and avoid using any of the fancy features, hell I try to avoid bridges if I can! As for the transaction shield I will expect the wallet to be business as usual, it is on you if there is an issue. 
What are your thoughts, am I worrying over nothing? Perhaps because I do not like it as much, I am being overly negative. Do you prefer the new MeatMask? Is there something else better that I should be using? As always, thank you for reading and please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.