Steam is Valve’s highly-successful gaming service that has become synonymous with PC gaming, it’s now often that you see games being labeled as “for Xbox One, PS4, and Steam” than you hear the word “PC” and is often being used interchangeably. The service is available in its main form the desktop website and the desktop app adds further convenience such as friends being easily integrated into the UI, the store page still uses an in built browser to access the service’s website but it works. The thing with this is that it’s often you need to boot up your main gaming rig to access your account and that takes time or adds inconvenience, you can access the store via any browser be it a different computer or mobile phone but a mobile app is like bringing your gaming rig with you to manage your content.
The Steam App for Android is Simple, But it Definitely Works
The mobile app version of Steam does a great job of replicating the desktop app experience albeit condensed into a smaller screen. The UI is simple, it takes the main color scheme of the desktop app and applies it to itself. Booting the app, you’re brought to the friends tab and accessing different tabs is as easy as a swipe from the left to access the sidebar. The sidebar is home to all the pages you need such as the store, community, library, and settings among many plus a few handy features such as Steam Guard. Overall the UI is not overly cluttered but it seems to show its age, perhaps a UI refresh for the app is overdue.
Features-wise, the app has convenience in mind. Steam app for Android is the handiest app you’ll need as Steam sales loom over the horizon. Use it to quickly browse featured titles in the store and purchase items like you’re ordering from McDonalds’ online delivery service. Another useful feature is to enable Steam Guard where your phone will be used as a verification code source. If you’re logging in to a different PC or if your account has been compromised, as long as you have your phone with you, a login on an unrecognized device won’t happen if the codes on your mobile app won’t be used to confirm the login; it’s brilliant.
For recommendation, the Steam app is the only first party app of its kind that handles everything, it may have a few missing features from the desktop app but most of the important features are easily accessible via the mobile app. One gripe is it only lets you purchase apps from the store but won’t actually start downloading remotely (if the target PC is active) so in cases that you’re away, you still need to access your main gaming rig to begin downloading the purchased game; overall it’s highly recommended for convenience.
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