Valve have released a new dedicated mobile Steam Chat application

Now that Valve have upgraded the chat and friends system in the desktop Steam client, they've also rolled out a brand new dedicated mobile application to do the same.

This isn't the normal Steam mobile application, instead they've oddly decided to split them in two. Touching on that, they said the original Steam mobile application is going to get some upgrades "focused on account security" including better Steam Guard options, like QR codes and a one-touch login.

Features included in the new Steam Chat Android/iOS application:

• Friends List - See who’s in game or online at a glance. Never miss an opportunity to play.
• Rich Chat - Your chats get even better with higher fidelity links, videos, tweets, GIFs, Giphy, Steam emoticons, and more.
• Invite Links - Add new friends on Steam with a link. Generate an invite link you can text or email.
• Customizable Notifications - Mobile notifications mean you'll never miss a message or game invite. You can customize your notifications per friend, group chat, and chat channel.
• Group Chats - Get everyone on the same page. Groups make it easier to do things like stay in touch with your communities and organize game night with your best friends.

Valve said they're going to be bringing in voice chat later too. See the official announcement here.

Testing it out myself today, it does seem to work fine. However, one thing they seem to have missed is the ability to leave a normal chat with a friend. Mine shows up with a chat with someone I removed, with no way to get rid of it. Entirely possible I've missed it but it's clearly there for group chats and not normal chats. Hopefully this small oversight will be sorted.