battle-net-authenticator
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Mobile authenticator app update for iOS is coming soon
If you use the mobile authenticator app on your iPhone or other Apple device, an update is going to be rolled out soon. This update will give the app full compatibility with iOS 7 and have an appropriate resolution for the iPhone 5 and 5s. The snag here is that when you update, the app may lose track of the fact that it's your authenticator -- and that can lock you out of Blizzard games. To make sure you don't get locked out, before you upgrade you'll want to write down your restore code: from the app menu, click setup and then continue. You'll have a serial number and a restore code here which you can write down or take a screenshot of for reference. Then, if your new app isn't working, open the menu, click restore, then "I want to perform a restoration," then enter your serial number and restore code. If you haven't already, you can also set up SMS protect, which allows you to remove a broken authenticator -- or broken authenticator app, in this case -- from your account via a text message to your phone, so you can detach the old authenticator and connect a new one. Anyone who has their iPhone set to automatically update apps should be especially wary, as this means your authenticator app will update as soon as the update appears on iTunes. Make sure you're ready for the update so you don't get locked out!
iPhone Mobile Authenticator temporarily removed from iTunes store
Those players using the iPhone Mobile Authenticator in conjunction with their Warcraft accounts may want to note the latest news from Community Manager Lylirra on the official Blizzard forums. Due to an issue with the latest version of the authenticator, the app has been removed from the iTunes store, to be replaced with a new version at a later date. Don't panic if you happen to have the authenticator tied to your account -- all current authenticators will continue working as usual, but players looking to download or update the app for their iPhone or iTouch devices will have to wait until the new version is released. Also note that whatever this issue may be, it is not a security issue; your account is perfectly safe. Follow after the break for the full announcement.
Blizzard introduces Dial-in Authenticator
If you do not have an authenticator or mobile authenticator on your account, Blizzard has just introduced an alternative. The Dial-in Authenticator, now available for those without authenticators, is a new Battle.net feature that will hopefully help those players who don't have some sort of authenticator already on their account. Here's how it works. When you sign up, you'll be asked to make a toll-free call from a specific phone of your choosing to authorize login attempts with the battle.net account. You get to assign the phone number that is used, and if there is something unusual about the login attempt on your account, you'll be asked to call the toll-free number to verify you are you. An example of unusual activity would be playing from a different location than you normally do. In other words, if a keylogger gets hold of your account information and attempts to log in, they'll be prompted to call the number -- and they won't be able to go any further, because they don't have your phone and they don't have your PIN. You will only be asked to call if it's an unusual login -- otherwise, you can continue to log in and play with no worries. The Dial-in Authenticator is currently only open to U.S. residents, and it only covers World of Warcraft accounts -- although Blizzard may update it to cover more countries in the future, as well as StarCraft 2 accounts. In order to sign up for the Dial-in Authenticator, you must log into your account on Battle.net, then go to Security Options and choose to add the Dial-in Authenticator. If you already have an authenticator on your account, you must remove it in order to sign up for the dial-in service; you cannot use more than one security method at a time. For more information on the service, check out the official FAQ on Blizzard's website.
Battle.net authenticators limited to one account
Blizzard is changing up the security on their authenticators a bit. This isn't a major change and shouldn't affect that many people. Starting now, if you happen to have multiple Battle.net accounts (not multiple WoW accounts under one Battle.net account), then each account must have its own authenticator. This means if you have separate Battle.net logins for zergrush@somedomain.com and taurenfever@example.com and you want to use an authenticator, you'll need to buy two. If you've just got taurenfever@example.com and all of your games are under that Battle.net login, then you're perfectly fine. This is not retroactive. If you already have two accounts linked to a single authenticator, everything will still work as it does right now until you unlink that authenticator. The full blue post detailing the changes is behind the cut below.
Blizzard responds to common Real ID concerns
Nethaera (Blizzard community manager) posted answers to some of the common Real ID questions and concerns on the forums today. With the PR disaster that was Blizzard's original Real ID on the forums concept, a follow-up aimed at easing tensions in the community -- even after the retraction -- was to be expected. While Blizzard offered some good news on things people have been requesting, they also dodged other points for the moment in true Blizzard style. Some highlights from the announcement: no current plans for an online handle to be used in game with Real ID instead of your name feature to disable your name's appearance in Friends of Friends list coming around the time of StarCraft II plans for some sort of unique ID on the WoW forums The full announcement is after the break.
Massively Mobile: iPhone apps for World of Warcraft
Every two weeks, Massively Mobile brings you the latest news, guides and analysis about MMOs on mobile devices. Covering iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad and Android platforms, we're on the lookout for the next generation of MMOs. Today I am going to cover mobile apps for World of Warcraft for the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad. If you own a mobile device that runs a different OS, fear not! I will be covering WoW apps running on Google's Android OS and for the Blackberry in the next column. It must be noted that the official WoW iPhone app is one of the best MMO-related apps out there with the recent addition of in-game auction house access through the app. It has set the bar for other MMO apps that are mere character and/or server look-up services. Seriously, it blows other MMO-related apps out of the water.
Blizzard giving serious consideration to mandatory authenticators
WoW.com has learned through trusted sources close to the situation that Blizzard is giving serious consideration to making authenticators mandatory on all accounts. According to our sources, while this policy has not been implemented yet and the details are not finalized, it is a virtually forgone conclusion that it will happen. This response is a direct effort to stop the massive number of compromised accounts by gold sellers and keyloggers. The seriousness of the situation with compromised accounts has reached such a level that wait times for item and character restoration are entirely unacceptable, even to Blizzard executives. Blizzard has taken other internal measures to deal with long wait times of people in account restoration queues, and we'll be covering those measures tomorrow. However, with the inclusion of mandatory authenticators, this should solve a major problem for Blizzard's support and account administration teams.
Battle.net Authenticator iPhone app now available in Europe
These things sometimes take a while, but Blizzard has finally made the Battle.net authenticator app available in the European iTunes stores (you can download it here). As with the NA version, the app is a freebie and designed to add an extra layer of security to your account thanks to a random number generator.We've already posted a hands-on look at the app and I had a quick play with it while writing this post. It seems really easy to use once you sync the app to your Battle.net account and there's something very special about seeing the Blizzard logo pop up on my iPhone. The app should also work on the iPod Touch and is available now, so if you've already merged your WoW account then this might well be the app for you. I certainly carry my iPhone around with me more than my keys so this little app is a very welcome addition.
Authenticator app coming to iPhones, iPods, and other mobile devices
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Blizzard_developing_Mobile_Authenticator_app'; According to a new Battle.net support page, there will be a new Blizzard Authenticator app for your mobile phone which will generate a code just like the physical authenticator does. The authenticator app will act just like the physical authenticators currently available. The page is sparse on exactly what phones and mobile devices will be supported, but it does mention that it works with the iPod Touch and iPhone.According to the webpage, you only need a WiFi connection once to activate the authenticator application, and after that you're all set.This comes right after the transition of the EU World of Warcraft account management to the new Battle.net account management. The US transition is reportedly done, although there has been no official world from Blizzard yet (however all their webpages have already changed over).The app is not available for download yet via Blizzard or from the Apple store. But we'll let you know the second it goes up!You can read the full FAQ after the break, or check out the Blizzard Support article.
