The next major upgrade to the Ether is to recast a default rule that has followed for many years: ETH transfers are no longer always a fixed consumption of 21 million Gas. Developer has reminded wallets, block browsers and billing services to check the relevant software, otherwise some transfers may be misvalued or directly rejected by the system after they have been upgraded.

New address transfer costs will increase.

Under the current rules, an ordinary ETH transfer is normally calculated at 21,000 Gas, regardless of whether the receiving address has been used or not. Following the upgrade, transfers to existing accounts remained at this level, but if the receiving address had never previously appeared in the ETA, the transaction would have increased by 18.36 million units in a new “state” Gas.

This means that the most basic ETH transfer in the future will no longer have a single cost. The network distinguishes between two types of address because the transfer to an entirely new address not only adjusts the balance but also creates and keeps a new record for the account over time.

Software dependent on fixed values needs to be rewritten

Over the years, a number of software has viewed 21 million Gas as a fixed value for ETH transfers. The wallet will then determine the amount of the incidental payment, which will be used by chain services to identify and classify ordinary transfers.

If the system is considered to be the lowest and the highest value at the same time, two types of problems may arise as a result of the upgrade: On the one hand, valid transactions were miscalculated as abnormal and, on the other hand, the costs were underestimated, resulting in insufficient transaction parameters submitted by users.

  • Transfer to old address: still 21 million Gas
  • Transfer to new address: additional 18.36 million
  • Target audience affected: Wallet, tracker, charge calculator, etc.

Testnet will be enabled first

The developer indicated that matching windows still existed. Glamsterdam will be activated in the Ethers test environment called Platåberget and then enter the Sepolia and Hodi testing networks before moving to the main network.

This reminder is aimed primarily at infrastructure providers rather than ordinary users. In the short term, the user sending ETH does not need to operate extra this week, but the wallets and service providers it uses need to be updated before the main line.