Blizzard has released an updated beta version of Battle.net, introducing new social features which can be used on the desktop app. The major additions are a new social tab, Blizzard groups, profiles and an appear offline mode. 

Users are able to test all of these new features by opening the PC app, clicking on the “Beta” tab and choosing to switch to the beta version. The beta is free to try for everyone. with no invitation necessary.

Here’s what the new features do, directly from Blizzard:

Social Tab

Our new Social tab is your one-stop-shop for managing all your various social interactions. Whether you’re chatting with a friend or engaged in our new Blizzard Groups, you’ll easily be able to pick up where you left off in all of your conversations.

Blizzard Groups

Blizzard Groups are a new way for you to connect with your friends and plan your next mission. Players can create and join Groups based on their common interests. There, they can keep in touch, share strategies, and catch up on conversations they might have missed while offline.

Each Group can have multiple text and voice chat channels, and Group administrators have a variety of tools to help manage membership, send out invitation links, and more.

The Groups beta is available now in the Americas region. Head to the new Social tab to get the party started!

Profiles

Let the Blizzard world know a little bit more about you by customizing your profile!

Your profile will allow you to select an avatar, share what’s on your mind with an About message, add links to where people can find you on social media, and more! You can also view profiles of other players if you’re curious about a pending friend request or what games a friend plays.

Players using the beta in the Americas region can customize their profile through the View Profile button in the app header and Friends List drop-downs.

Appear Offline

Appear offline allows you to set your status to show you as “offline” to your Blizzard friends while remaining connected to Battle.net. This means you can launch the app and game away without distraction.

Appearing offline will show you as offline to everyone in your Blizzard friends list. Once you have joined a game, the experience of appearing offline might be slightly different depending on which game you are playing. In the case of World of Warcraft, your guildmates will see your character come online and enter WoW’s in-game chat channels, and anyone who has you as a character-level friend will see you online on their friends list. Everyone outside of the same game as you will not see you online or playing any games.

Do you see a friend who’s offline but you really want to send them a message while it’s on your mind? You can now send offline friends messages and they will receive them the next time they come online! While appearing offline you can still send and receive messages in the app, but it is up to you when you want to respond.

Do you plan on testing out the beta?

Source: Blizzard