Back in 2012, Valve debuted a mobile version of Steam that it said would “expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone.” Now Blizzard is making its own move into the world of portable account management with the release of a mobile version of its Battle.net software for Android and iOS devices.
“If you’ve ever wanted to see what games your friends are playing while you’re headed home on the bus, or quickly add a new friend you’ve met out on the town, now you can with the Blizzard Battle.net mobile app,” the announcement says. “Available for iOS and Android, the Blizzard Battle.net mobile app brings social features from the Blizzard Battle.net desktop app to your phone.”
Unfortunately, that’s all it does: You can add friends via their Battletag, email address, or QR code, chat with them, and mark yourself as online, away, or busy. But there’s no option to purchase or install games remotely, and the Authenticator remains a separate app.
The Steam mobile app was no great shakes when it launched, as I recall, and so hopefully the Battle.net app will follow a similar path toward improvement, or at least an evolution toward more general usefulness. For now, it’s a handy way to keep in touch with clanmates when you’re away from you’re PC, and as long as that’s all you’re after, you’ll be set. It is also free, which is an undeniable plus.