Web3 was supposed to change how we interact with the internet. The whole pitch was about real ownership—your identity, your assets, your data, all under your control. But when you look at how most people actually access these apps in 2025, the picture doesn’t match the promise. A huge chunk of users are still logging in with Google or Apple, the same old gatekeepers Web3 was meant to escape.
It’s not that people don’t care about ownership, it’s that convenience always wins. Signing transactions, managing seed phrases, or navigating wallets can feel like a headache compared to the one-click login Apple and Google perfected years ago. Web3 companies know this, and instead of forcing users to learn the hard way, they quietly integrate the old systems just to keep people onboard.
The irony is that this undermines the whole point. If your entry point to a “decentralized” app depends on a Web2 login provider, then you’re not really in control. You’re renting access the same way you do with Gmail or iCloud. If Google decides to revoke your account, suddenly your “sovereign” Web3 identity collapses with it. That’s not ownership, that’s dependency with a new coat of paint.
Still, I understand why projects do it. Onboarding is the single biggest friction point in Web3. If someone has to spend half an hour figuring out private keys just to buy an NFT or play a game, they’ll drop it. Using existing login tools smooths that out. It’s a tradeoff: sacrifice a little decentralization in exchange for a broader user base. And for startups fighting to survive, the choice is obvious.
But this creates a deeper question. If Web3’s adoption depends on Web2’s infrastructure, does it ever really stand on its own? Or are we just building a shinier layer on top of the same foundations we claimed to outgrow? That’s the tension, real ownership sounds great, but the reality is shaped by what people are willing to use, not what the ideology demands.
The good news is that alternatives are emerging. Account abstraction, social logins tied to wallets, and new recovery systems are making it easier to onboard without leaning on Big Tech. These are early, and not perfect, but they’re steps toward a login system that feels as smooth as Web2 while staying true to Web3 principles. If they scale, maybe the balance shifts back toward real ownership.
Until then, Web3 sits in this awkward middle. It promises a future where users are in full control, but it lives in a present where Apple IDs and Google accounts still hold the keys for most people. Whether that’s just a phase or the new normal depends on how fast the industry solves UX without defaulting to old habits.
