Steam has just released the new and improved Steam Mobile app on iOS and Android, and it’s sleeker than ever. The Steam Mobile app first launched in 2012, and even after many past tweaks, it was looking pretty dated. Starting today, you can download the new update and enjoy a refined experience.
The Steam Mobile app’s first major update affects how players can sign into their accounts. Firstly, a new option has been added to Steam to sign in via QR code, so instead of using a username or password, you can just use your phone’s camera. This will also require updating your Steam PC client too, so it supports the QR codes.
Secondly, you can now manually approve specific logins on your mobile, without using a Steam Guard Authenticator key. When someone uses your username and password to sign in, the app will notify you of their location. From there, you can either approve of the login or deny it and keep them out of your account. This is much easier than needing to type a timed verification key, and also feels much more secure knowing you’ll see where each log in occurs.
The Steam Mobile app has also added remote download functionality, so you can make purchases and start downloads of games and updates from your phone, and have them waiting for when you return. Additionally, you can have several accounts on the app now, to manage several libraries of games.
A bunch of modern aesthetic upgrades make the app nicer to look at, with smoother animations and richer colours. There’s also some big UI overhauls, and they make it much easier to navigate. The customizable tabs along the bottom of the screen now direct you exactly where you’ll want to go. The former version of the Steam Mobile app had a giant list of every option to shift through, so this is much simpler.
Steam is also updating its Steam Chat app, with an Android update today and an iOS update to follow soon after. If you want to know everything Steam-related that was tweaked on mobile today, check out the official blog post here.
Do you use the Steam Mobile app, and will this update change that? Let us know in the comments below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more gaming news.
