@poutain ,
Re: “how to actually get my supposed ‘account balance’ to show up in my wallet”
What do you mean by ‘my wallet’, specifically? Do you mean the ‘Brave Wallet’ that is built into Brave Browser?
@rodrige is correct, where he wrote:
“Brave gives you rewards in the form of vBAT.”
Though some of us who are not fluent in Brave Rewards lingo, are left wondering about the how and the why of that giving. (I’ll get to Brave documentation, in a moment.)
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My understanding, re vBAT, is that, they are virtual Basic Attention Token(s) - ie. crypto token(s). And, cryptocurrency coins are crypto tokens, but not all crypto tokens are cryptocurrency. I mention that, because people (and Brave documentation) throw around the word “crypto” without being clear for the benefit of the reader.
Next, @rodrige writes:
“You can hold them in the browser wallet or tip creators.”
Apparently, he means, that you can hold vBAT in the Brave Browser wallet (ie the ‘Brave Wallet’).
(EDITED: But, according to Brave documentation, it seems that ONLY BAT [not vBAT] may be stored in a Brave Wallet.)
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Brave documentation:
https://brave.com/brave-rewards/
There, Brave writes:
“By default, the Brave Browser rips out all the creepy ads & trackers from every web page you visit”
Brave used to “rip out” said items, but not since the recent (Apr. 27, 2022) Brave Browser v1.38.109 update, wherein the default was flipped for Brave Shields (Lion icon) to be Disabled for some users.
Moving down the web page to “What can you do with BAT?” . . .
Note that Brave writes, that you can use BAT (not vBAT) “to tip websites & content creators.”
Later, Brave writes: “BAT is flexible, transferable, and oh-so-easy to use.”
When it is readily apparent at the Brave Community, that statement by Brave, is a major challenge.
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Just a bit further down the web page, Brave writes: “What does tipping mean?”
“Brave users can directly support websites & creators with one-time tips or automatic contributions of BAT.”
Now, let us say, that you have been rewarded with vBAT, for your participation in Brave Rewards, using Brave Browser (and its Brave Wallet? < - NO).
Based upon the Brave documentation to this point, it sounds like, a reward of vBAT become BAT when in your Brave Wallet within the Brave Browser installation on your computing device.
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How do vBAT become BAT? (I wonder.) Going to other Brave documentation, “State of the BAT”:
https://brave.com/state-of-the-bat/
There, scrolling down to “BAT Utility in Brave” - “Brave Rewards: Private Hybrid Utility”
“The primary method for users to earn and utilize BAT is by viewing opt-in Brave Ads and earning virtual BAT (vBAT) through Brave Rewards. Brave Rewards provides a hybrid model; if users elect to verify their Rewards wallet through Brave’s custodial partner, they are able to reify vBAT as BAT for custodial and on-chain transaction”
“Reify” means to make things more concrete, real.
But, the first sentence in that paragraph, is what interests re vBAT. Because (reading further on the web page), part of the “Brave Rewards Utility: Hybrid Model” seems to be for tipping publishers and content creators.
Publishers and content creators must first, register with Brave Rewards, by joining Brave Rewards and satisfying other requirements set by Brave Rewards:
https://creators.brave.com/no_js
Then, the Brave Rewards Utility: Hybrid Model, combined with the Publishers and Content Creators registered participation in Brave Rewards, provides the way for your vBAT that you tip . . . becoming BAT for those whom you have tipped.
You get to maintain the Privacy and Security afforded by:
- Brave Browser Shields
- Brave Browser settings
- other Brave Browser features
. . . up to and including all that processing by which, vBAT become BAT for whomever you tip.
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Re Brave Browser users who establish custodial wallets and must KYC/verify such custodial wallets, you are correct, that there is much increased risk of passing along to some Internet entity, the personal and private information.
And because of that risk, there ought to be, on a single Brave documentation web page, a FULL DISCLOSURE - instead of interested parties having to hunt around and piece together the various ingredients.
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Meanwhile, your OP issue:
Re: “how to actually get my supposed ‘account balance’ to show up in my wallet”
See: https://brave.com/wallet/
How is Brave Wallet different from Brave Rewards?
Brave Rewards is tied to Brave Private Ads. Brave Browser users who opt-in to Brave Rewards will see privacy-preserving, first-party ads in certain locations as they browse. By viewing these ads, users can earn a crypto token called the Basic Attention Token (BAT).
Brave Wallet is a tool that allows you to buy, store, send, and swap almost any crypto asset & NFT, connect other wallets and web3 DApps, and generally manage your whole crypto portfolio. You cannot transfer Brave Rewards directly to the Brave Wallet. However, you can move Brave Rewards funds to Uphold, Gemini, or BitFlyer and then withdraw from there to Brave Wallet.
What that DOES NOT make clear, is that, for your vBAT to become BAT (other than, by way of the Publishers and Content Creators example, preceding) and thus store-able within your Brave Wallet, you can [read: must] move your “Brave Rewards funds” in a manner that requires KYC/verification.
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May interest:
https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/qvkm4t/theres_a_very_good_reason_why_bat_rewards_cant_be/
Including a comment by Jixxxerr much like your concern:
“Yeah, but doesn’t this defeat the purpose of what brave is all about? I mean I get your point but think about kids that use Brave but cannot ID themselves on Uphold or Gemini? or even adults that don’t want to give up their privacy (which brave is supposed to be about) to third party companies. I think there needs to be a way to transfer brave rewards to your wallet without a third party involved. Sure, the brave wallet may be better than MetaMask for the given reasons brave states but what’s the point in their own rewards if you have to use a third party anyways?”
Specifically, therein:
“there needs to be a way to transfer brave rewards to your wallet without a third party involved”
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Footnote: Not clear: WHERE vBAT are stored, other than somewhere within your Brave Browser installation on your computing device . . . but again, according to Brave documentation, that vBAT storage location is NOT in your Brave Wallet.
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June 4, 2022 updated list of regions for verifying Brave Rewards with a custodial wallet provider - posted by @chriscat:
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In what region / nation, are you located?
Click the Get Geo Location Data button, at:
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