Valve's long-forgotten Steam mobile app is getting a long-overdue revamp seven years after its last major update and now the developer is asking for beta testers.
The online gaming platform where people can buy and play video games on their PCs originally designed the Steam mobile app to be a miniature version of the service that had most of the desktop features, except you couldn't play anything. However, the app was never popular. People have complained about connectivity issues (opens in a new tab) and disorganized user interface (opens in a new tab). It was considered a lost cause until this recent announcement.
In a recent blog post (opens in a new tab), Valve revealed that the new mobile app is being rebuilt from the ground up in a completely new framework and claims that the app has a more modern design. You will retain some of the old features, such as the ability to purchase games for your Steam account, confirm trades, and obtain Steam Guard codes(Opens in a new tab). New features include QR code login, "smarter notifications," a more comprehensive library, and support for multiple accounts.
Registration
You can sign up for the beta now, but act fast as there are limited seats available. Valve asks for feedback from its users so it can find out what people like and don't like and see what needs to be fixed. According to the company, it is especially important to know what needs to be fixed, since the application will need to run on different operating systems and devices.
Valve has provided a link to the Google Play Store (opens in a new tab) that will direct you to join the beta program and download the app. Unfortunately for iPhone owners, the beta program is complete (opens in a new tab) at the time of this writing, but there are plans to add more slots over time. Valve recommends checking back at a later date (opens in a new tab) to see if any new locations are available.
The process on iOS involves first downloading Apple's TestFlight app and then downloading the Steam beta app. In the meantime, Valve recommends joining the discussions on their community forums (opens in a new tab).
It is important to mention that in order to activate the QR code login feature, you will need to switch your Steam client on the computer to the beta version (opens in a new tab). You can do this by going to the Account tab in the Settings menu and clicking the Edit button. You will then need to restart Steam to access the beta features. At launch, the login screen will have the QR code option front and center.
Try the app
Please note that you will find some bugs in the beta version. We managed to join the program on Android and had trouble logging in. It took a few tries. Browsing the forums, difficulty logging in seems to be a common problem. Other than that, the experience was pretty good. Scrolling through the store was nice and responsive, just like any other app.
All new features listed in the announcement are present and working. Along with a Store tab, the bottom bar includes (opens in a new tab) a news feed, a notification section, Steam Guard, which houses the QR code feature, and a typical settings menu. The revamped library (opens in a new tab) provides access to community resources like player groups you can join, and personal game stats like achievements. The sentiment on the forums is generally positive and many suggestions are being thrown around.
As you browse the community, you'll see many users requesting the chat feature be added (Opens in a new tab). There's already Steam chat (opens in a new tab) on mobile that serves this purpose, but people want Valve to get rid of it and integrate it into the new app. This way, people don't come and go just to talk to friends.
It's unclear when the updated Steam app will officially launch. Valve notes that it will continue to add people to the program and improve the beta until launch day.
If you're not sure which new game to buy or don't feel like getting into your backlog, TechRadar has a list of the best games on Steam that you should check out.