Valve has released a new free standalone Steam Chat app for iOS and Android that brings several of the desktop Steam chat client's features to mobile.
Steam users can now use their smartphones and tablets to see who in their friends list is in game or online at a glance, participate in group chats, send invite links, customize notifications for friends, groups and channels, and embed rich chat features like videos, tweets, and gifs in chat threads. The app is just missing voice chat, but Valve plans to add the feature soon.
The new app comes less than a week after its long-delayed Steam Link app, which lets you play Steam games on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, was finally launched on iOS. Valve first announced the Steam Link app in May 2018 and planned to launch it soon after, but Apple ended up rejecting the app due to "business conflicts."
Those conflicts were apparently solved when Valve removed the ability to purchase apps from within Steam Link. When connecting Steam Link to a PC or Mac, you only see the games you've already bought, and there's no clear option for purchasing content directly on your iOS device.
The Steam Chat app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Top Rated Comments
The emphasis is on the app, not the mock-up they decided to use. Does it really matter that much to you?