The WoW Companion App is Retiring

[ablib]

Why do you need to be pedantic for the sake of being pedantic

The person you're quoting stated they have never used a store before to download apps, so it's likely they're still using a flip phone (or no phone), and doesn't understand how this all works.

- - - Updated - - -

Why remove something people use a lot? Wtf.

It was literally a good app. Being able to manage auctions and stuff on the go was top tier.

Here folks, is an example of a player's confirmation bias --- Something the playerbase believes is true about the game, when it's obviously not.

Obviously people don't use the app a lot, or they wouldn't have made the decision to just get rid of it with a simple 3 sentence farewell.

[Nederbelg]

What do you mean ? If I create an softwware, I can totally put a download link for its apk on my website, there's nothing wrong with that.



Yeah sorry, I meant thousands store.



Well yes, either on their store (that they could easily create with the ressources they have) or on their website directly. What does a "blizzard phone" has to do with this ? If I create a software, I can put a download link for its apk directly on my website, and not on the play store. Seems to me that it would be an easier solution.

Because most phone rightfully are set to only download apps fromt he offical stores since downloading apps from other sources can compromise your security.

This article was about an companion app, not the game itself.

[FelPlague]

Well yes, either on their store (that they could easily create with the ressources they have) or on their website directly. What does a "blizzard phone" has to do with this ? If I create a software, I can put a download link for its apk directly on my website, and not on the play store. Seems to me that it would be an easier solution.

Ah yes, cause making your players manually download, and manually update a program on their phone, while every other product on their phone downloads and updates automatically. Such a genius idea.

- - - Updated - - -

Why remove something people use a lot? Wtf.

It was literally a good app. Being able to manage auctions and stuff on the go was top tier.

"people use a lot" lolol no one uses it, if people did use it a lot they would not have dropped support on it multiple times.

[Alayea]

Meh. Only the Legion Companion was good. It immediately went to crap after Blizzard chose to repurpose it and try to make it into something it had never been intended for.

[Zardas]

Because most phone rightfully are set to only download apps fromt he offical stores since downloading apps from other sources can compromise your security.

By that logic when I download a game on Steam on my window computer, it can compromise my security because it's not from an official source (aka not from something made by microsoft) ?

Ah yes, cause making your players manually download, and manually update a program on their phone, while every other product on their phone downloads and updates automatically. Such a genius idea.

Then they can just develop their own store. If small unknown devs can do it, there is no reason that Blizzard can't.

[EverDash]

damn. i guess im the ONE person who still uses it all the time.

[FelPlague]

By that logic when I download a game on Steam on my window computer, it can compromise my security because it's not from an official source (aka not from something made by microsoft) ?



Then they can just develop their own store. If small unknown devs can do it, there is no reason that Blizzard can't.

Steam is a trusted program, random websites on your phone are not.

You think developing their own store is FAR easier then it actually is.

"small unknown devs can do it" who? fucking who? what are you on about? Again why do you think there is thousands of app stores?

[ablib]

I said that I never used the play store. I do use other stores.

Ahh...sorry. I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. There is no other logical explanation to sounding this ignorant on the subject.

[Zardas]

Steam is a trusted program, random websites on your phone are not.

And what makes it anymore trusted than software from other companies, exactly ?

You think developing their own store is FAR easier then it actually is.

You can just fork an open source existing ones (like : https://github.com/Aptoide/aptoide-client-v8/) and create your own, it's really not that hard.

"small unknown devs can do it" who? fucking who? what are you on about? Again why do you think there is thousands of app stores?

I have three just on my phone currently (aptoide, apk pure and f-droid), and there is plenty more that you can find very easily.

Ahh...sorry. I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. There is no other logical explanation to sounding this ignorant on the subject.

I mean, I never hide the fact that I'm not aware of plenty of things, which is why I'm asking for clarifications.

[The-Shan]

What do you mean ? If I create an softwware, I can totally put a download link for its apk on my website, there's nothing wrong with that.

but they don't its only available on play/app stores, blizzard chose not to distribute it any other way, they are the creators, and they don't want it to be available anymore, this really isn't that complicated

[Aucald]

So Blizzard themselves gave the apk to google and apple to put on their store ? Sorry if that sounds stupid, but why give it to those two companies instead of listing it directly on Blizz official website ? Especially since, as far as I know, you need a google or an apple account to use these two stores. Like, why promote two potential concurrent companies as "official sources" of your own game when you could assume this position yourself ?

For the vast majority of apps, the actual content isn't inside the APK file you might download from a third-party website - all the data the app relies on would be on Blizzard's servers or services, which they'll likely take offline and repurpose when they delist the app from the primary stores. So even if you keep the app or find the APK, it'd be useless and would only launch a start screen followed by a connection or server error.

[kranur]

What do you mean ? If I create an softwware, I can totally put a download link for its apk on my website, there's nothing wrong with that.

Even if Blizzard doesn't forbid you to put their apk for download, it's not their responsibility either to scour the internet and tell people to take it down .. they will simply take down the app servers or refuse connections from it or just let it rot to display whatever information it can until those apis become obsolete.

[cozzri]

It doesn't make them any money, so it needs to be deleted.

[Tarx]

The best app during the Legion expansion .

[Zardas]

but they don't its only available on play/app stores, blizzard chose not to distribute it any other way, they are the creators, and they don't want it to be available anymore, this really isn't that complicated

Yes, I got that, but I was wondering why they would choose to appoint other companies as "official sources" instead of doing it themselves.

Even if Blizzard doesn't forbid you to put their apk for download, it's not their responsibility either to scour the internet and tell people to take it down .. they will simply take down the app servers or refuse connections from it or just let it rot to display whatever information it can until those apis become obsolete.

Absolutely, I was merely pointing out that I didn't see how they could remove the ability to download it.

For the vast majority of apps, the actual content isn't inside the APK file you might download from a third-party website - all the data the app relies on would be on Blizzard's servers or services, which they'll likely take offline and repurpose when they delist the app from the primary stores. So even if you keep the app or find the APK, it'd be useless and would only launch a start screen followed by a connection or server error.

So by dowwnloading the apk, you just download the skeleton of a software, and it's that software who then connect to a Blizzard server to download the actual code of this "companion app" ? That sure would make sens and would explain how they could remove the possibility of downloading it. Thanks for the explanation, mate !

[Aucald]

So by dowwnloading the apk, you just download the skeleton of a software, and it's that software who then connect to a Blizzard server to download the actual code of this "companion app" ? That sure would make sens and would explain how they could remove the possibility of downloading it. Thanks for the explanation, mate !

Pretty much, yeah. The WoW Companion app is mostly interface UX textures connected to an array of webhook-like API services that return data from the WoW backend servers. The code for displaying the interface will be there, as will the API code, but without the endpoints being functional you're basically using the frame of a television without the actual screen that can display stuff.

[RobertMugabe]

That's good.

The companion app was really just a way for them to push WoW's worst content to mobile, that being the mission table.

- - - Updated - - -

What do you mean ? If I create an softwware, I can totally put a download link for its apk on my website, there's nothing wrong with that.



Yeah sorry, I meant thousands store.



Well yes, either on their store (that they could easily create with the ressources they have) or on their website directly. What does a "blizzard phone" has to do with this ? If I create a software, I can put a download link for its apk directly on my website, and not on the play store. Seems to me that it would be an easier solution.



But isn't it easier to install a software without passing through the play store ? From what I saw, you need to create a google account to use the play store. 99% of cell phone users would rather go through the struggle of doing that instead of directly downloading the softwares ?



They are preventing people from installing whatever they want on the product they bought ?



Absolutely, but this would simply prevent people from using it, not from installing. That's the only thing I'm wondering about. I'm not saying that they can't do the rest.



I said that I never used the play store. I do use other stores.

My man did you just wake up from a comma and was last awake in 2007? Or still using plain Nokia phones?

[WowIsDead64]

It's useless without addons anyway. It was Blizzards' attempt to make "Pay 15$ of sub fee to play cheap mobile game" thing. It didn't work. Especially after Legion, where they decided to force player to grind table resources in game and were making this process less and less effective in every subsequent xpack. Why should I grind some resources in game to play time-gated offline mini-game then, if I can grind gold directly? Because I'm that mini-game's addict? Nope.

[Spikeychris]

It's useless without addons anyway. It was Blizzards' attempt to make "Pay 15$ of sub fee to play cheap mobile game" thing. It didn't work. Especially after Legion, where they decided to force player to grind table resources in game and were making this process less and less effective in every subsequent xpack. Why should I grind some resources in game to play time-gated offline mini-game then, if I can grind gold directly? Because I'm that mini-game's addict? Nope.

Wtf are you even talking about? Missions lasted actual hours it's not like you could sit and grind them out. It was useful in that you could quickly collect missions rewards and set missions without having to log into the game just to do that but calling mission table stuff mini games is a stretch of the term.

[The-Shan]

Yes, I got that, but I was wondering why they would choose to appoint other companies as "official sources" instead of doing it themselves.

For one, because the google play store is just the most effective way to get apps onto an android phone since it comes stock on all phones, and two because you literally cant load apps not from the app store onto an iPhone. Self-distribution isn't a great way to get your software out there in the mobile world.