• Pi Network price extends its recovery on Thursday after finding support around the key zone earlier this week.
• Pi Core Team announced that the Pi Mainnet will upgrade to Protocol 26, with a mandatory migration deadline of August 11.
• The technical outlook suggests a rebound, with momentum indicators showing modest easing of selling pressure.

Pi Network (PI) extends its rebound, trading above $0.082 on Thursday after finding support at a key demand zone earlier this week. The recovery gained additional support after the Pi Core Team announced a Protocol 26 Mainnet upgrade with a mandatory migration deadline of August 11. In addition, the fading bearish strength in the momentum indicators supports a potential recovery ahead.

Protocol 26 upgrade deadline set for August 11

On Wednesday, PiCoreTeam announced on its X account that Pi Mainnet is upgrading to Protocol 26 with a strict deadline of August 11, 2026. 

“All Mainnet node operators must upgrade via the Pi Node software to avoid disconnection from the network,” says the Pi X post.

PiCoreTeam further explained that Protocol 26 is a major milestone ahead of the final planned upgrade, Protocol 27. With 8 successful upgrades completed over the past few months, these final two upgrades will bring the network up to date with the latest protocol features, improvements, and functionality.

The upgrades are constructively bullish for Pi Network in the long term as they support the network’s path toward full decentralization, node open-sourcing, and enhanced capabilities like scalability and privacy-focused applications for its large user base.

In the short term, however, the announcement has provided only modest support to price action, with Pi recovering more than 4% on Wednesday and continuing to trade above $0.082 at the time of writing on Thursday.

Pi Network Price Forecast: Fading bearish momentum

PI price trades at $0.082 on Thursday, extending a bearish near-term bias as price holds well below the 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs) at $0.104, $0.125, and $0.165, respectively. 

The downtrend resistance line, broken at $0.096, now acts as an initial cap on recoveries, while the Relative Strength Index (RSI) around 37 suggests weak but stabilizing momentum; the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator has turned marginally positive, hinting at only a modest easing of selling pressure rather than a trend shift.

On the topside, immediate resistance is seen at the former trendline break around $0.096, followed by the 50-day EMA at $0.104 and the horizontal barrier at $0.118; higher up, the 100-day and 200-day EMAs at $0.125 and $0.165 reinforce the broader bearish structure. 

On the downside, the key support to watch is the horizontal floor near $0.075, where a sustained break would open the way for a deeper slide, while holding above this level would likely keep PI in a consolidative phase under the mentioned moving-average cluster.

(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)