Fixes the big one: switching your box between Game Mode and Desktop no longer freezes the app. The trackpad would stop moving the cursor while everything still looked connected, and the only way back was force-quitting or switching boxes. That's fixed — switch as often as you like. New: a Big Picture button for PCs that have Steam but no Game Mode session (Nobara, most desktop Linux). One tap opens Steam Big Picture on the TV; long-press the same button to come back to the desktop. Also: connection diagnostics are reachable in large-pad mode, and tap-to-retry does a deeper reset when a connection goes quiet.

Fixes a bug where the app could stop responding — trackpad and buttons frozen — within a minute of opening, then quietly restart itself. It was a purchase-verification loop, most likely on iOS beta versions, and it could also drain battery. Restoring purchases is more reliable now. Also new: the Console shows every GPU in your box — dual-GPU machines show both cards, each with its own temperature, usage and memory.

New in 2.9.31 • Setting up your first box is now guided — the Setup tab walks you through installing the service, then finds every box on your network on its own and puts a PIN on your TV. No typing addresses, no hunting for a token. • See what your box is sending the TV — a new Display / Audio panel on Console shows live resolution and refresh rate, whether HDR and variable refresh are really on, your monitor's name, and which speaker is playing. • Redeemed a promo code? Restore Purchases now finds it. Codes redeemed in the App Store weren't being picked up, so the app could still say your trial had expired. • Easier to read — the small text throughout the app has been darkened for contrast, and error messages that were nearly invisible in light mode are now legible. • Your box's name no longer gets cut short in the header on smaller phones. • Updating box software no longer hangs on "Updating…" when an app can't be updated, and an OS update queued behind it now runs. • iPhone: the Paste button no longer hides behind the keyboard. • Optional new add-on: the Couchside Player puts Netflix, YouTube, Max and more on the TV, driven from your phone. It's early — install it from your box if you want to try it.

New in 2.9.30 • Scan to pair — point your phone's camera at the code on your box's screen, right inside the app. Setup → Scan a pairing code. No browser detour, no typing. • Choose how your box starts up — a new Boots into card on the Actions tab: Game Mode, Desktop, or whichever you used last. The switches below it only change what's on screen now; this is the setting that decides power-on. • Launch Netflix, Hulu and the rest — non-Steam shortcuts on your box now appear in Launch, so the phone can start them. • One flick, one step — swiping the remote past a short menu no longer sails through it. • TV mode is off by default now, and labelled the rough beta it is. Turn it on in Settings if you want it.

New in 2.9.29 • Skip 10 or 30 seconds — new arrows on Now Playing jump back or forward 10 seconds; hold one for 30. Change either amount in Settings, or switch the hold off. • Kinder to your battery — the Pad no longer holds your screen on indefinitely. Let it sleep after 5, 10, 30 or 60 idle minutes, or keep it always on. • Vitals first — the file-sending card moved to the bottom of the Console tab.

New in 2.9.23 • Bigger trackpad — a one-tap corner button expands the Mouse and Swipe surfaces for easier scrolling. • Steadier connection — if the app was backgrounded and the pointer stopped responding, it now reconnects on its own instead of a force-quit. • Honest status — the connection dot turns amber the moment input stops getting through; tap to reconnect. • Reliable right-click — two-finger tap registers every time; two-finger scrolling no longer fires stray clicks.

New in 2.9.22 • Update your box from your phone — Flatpak apps and the OS (SteamOS/Bazzite), together or one at a time. Turn it on once at the box. • A fresh install now walks you through pairing on the box's own screen. • Search your Preferences by typing. • Check for an app update in Setup › Account — it asks your store directly, sends nothing about you. • Closing the running game from your phone now actually works. • Swipe traces draw a clean glowing line.

Cover art finally works on Android — it never has, and every game showed a plain card instead of its poster. Find things faster: search your games on the Launch tab, and a new Steam search button opens search on the box and brings up your keyboard so you can type instead of picking letters with a d-pad. Close the running game from your phone. The Gaming card shows what's playing, how long it's been on, and a button to quit it. Better readings from your box: storage now reports how full drives really are and includes game drives like SD cards, handhelds show battery draw and time until full, and the GPU no longer looks like it has half a gigabyte. Watch what your box is doing while it updates, on your phone and on the box's own screen.

New in 2.9.17 • Touch animations. Preferences can now draw a ring wherever you tap, and a trail of dots while a finger moves, so a screen recording or a support screen-share shows what was actually pressed. Both are off by default. • Clearer wording on the unlock screen.

New in 2.9.9 • Stream from PC: play games from another Steam PC or Steam Deck on your network, right on the box. Open the Launch tab, pick the machine, and tap a game — nothing extra to install.

Aerial screensaver: turn your box into an Apple-TV-style aerial screensaver from the power menu, with a theme picker (space, landscapes, cities, underwater) at 1080p or 4K. Fleet: a new dashboard showing every machine you own at a glance. Adaptive tabs: controls now appear only if the box you're on supports them, so a Windows PC and a Steam Deck each show the right tools. Trial reminders: a heads-up before the free trial ends, and the unlock is easier to find. Windows: one-tap desktop shortcut buttons (Windows key, Alt+Tab, Lock, Task Manager). Plus live metrics sparklines and reliability fixes.