After some time being in Beta, Valve has officially released the new shiny new Steam Mobile App for all.
This really is a big upgrade, and one we've all been waiting for. Valve let Steam Mobile die a slow death until this revamp, so let's hope they keep up with it this time. It has a new design, along with it being built on a whole new framework. Major new additions like QR code sign-in, making it easier than ever to jump into Steam on new devices.
Direct Link
App Features:
- Two-factor authentication to ensure you’re the only one with access to your account
- QR code sign in - Scan a QR code to sign into Steam instead of entering a password or…
- Sign in confirmation - Confirm your regular Steam sign ins with simple “approve” or “deny”
- Authorized Devices - Manage access to the devices your account has signed in
- Easy access to the Store, Community, News, etc from wherever you are
- Your Library with access to your game content, discussions, guides, support, and more
- Remote download of games and updates on your PC, managed from your phone
- Customizable Steam notifications: wishlist, sales, comments, trades, discussions, friend requests, and more
- Trade and Market confirmations – to ensure items don’t leave your account without your approval
- An improved Store browsing experience for mobile screens
- Support for using multiple Steam accounts in the app
- Customizable tabs
Valve makes it clear that Steam Chat will remain a separate app, for some reason. It will also be getting some major upgrades today on Android and iOS "soon".
As for what's next. Valve are bringing the QR sign-in to Steam Deck, adding in new notification types and adding the Authorized Devices list to the Steam Client and browser.
The app is available in the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, and as a standalone APK.
You can, however, make the app run only when explicitly opened. It will still be logged-in when you open it, but won't eat your battery and resources or nag you otherwise.
Android allows this, despite making sure it's hidden and hard to get it right. In android's configs go to applications. In the list of installed apps that should appear, go to the steam mobile app to open its settings (not the in-app ones, the android system standard ones). Disable all notifications, disable auto-start, disable app permissions, change the power settings to restrict background activity.
It's now a dead paperweight until openend.
Last edited by Marlock on 13 October 2022 at 2:00 pm UTC
QuoteEasy access to the StoreAnd this true on next big sale happening?!
Quoting: Marlockhttps://store.steampowered.com/mobile
care to elaborate how that link is related to my question? At least i can't find any word about an updater function there...
Quoting: TermyIt's a place you can download the apk file (a known good and updated version) manually. If you do that you can install it over the current version. Works more reliably than Aurora.Quoting: Marlockhttps://store.steampowered.com/mobile
care to elaborate how that link is related to my question? At least i can't find any word about an updater function there...
Doesn't seem to have any auto-update method though.
Last edited by Marlock on 13 October 2022 at 4:02 pm UTC
Quoting: MarlockIt's a place you can download the apk file (a known good and updated version) manually. If you do that you can install it over the current version. Works more reliably than Aurora.That much is apparent from the 'standalone apk' part ;)
Quoting: MarlockDoesn't seem to have any auto-update method though.
That is what i was wondering, i'm way too lazy to manually update stuff...what are we, windows users?
Quoting: MarlockThat's what happens when the easiest to break and easiest to loose and easiest to hack device (a smartphone) becomes a de-facto standard replacement for e-Token devices...
I really wish Valve could add support for Yubikeys[1]. For a service like Steam, where lets face it, some people can have "valuable" accounts to hackers due to a high number of games or inventory (not me) it makes it a prime example of a service that could utilize it well to protect peoples accounts
[1] Yup, I know there are other hardware keys like Yubikey, merely said this one as it's the most well known and the most people are likely to recognize it.
Quoting: MarlockAFAIK there are even provider-agnostic methods for this sort of thing, but anything beyond smartphone as token is a rare beast to see actually implemented nowadays, let alone a real agnostic implementation.There are, you can set up a few that work with all hardware tokens.
It's a shame that it's rarely implemented; I say this as a Yubikey user, because it's such a good idea in general. I do however use it where-ever possible (password databases, SSH keys, websites which allow it etc).
It'll far out-beat any 2FA code mechanism too, for two primary reasons:
1) Hardware tokens require you to physically touch them, can't be remotely activated
2) A 2FA code is time based, which means if a user is tricked into logging into a false website which requests the code, it could be programmed to grab and store the timed code, which it can then immediately login to the real account using the code with an automated bot (there are steam account hijackers that do exactly this by sending the user a fake steam page or login service)
Thus, it would be better for the industry to more widely accept hardware tokens, but it is what it is I guess.
Last edited by BlackBloodRum on 14 October 2022 at 7:15 am UTC
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