I noticed that many people dislike the new trade holds feature including myself. However, some have gone to completely hate it so much that they make false statements regarding what the new security feature has to offer. So I decided making this small guide would be beneficial and corrective to everyone.

Do share this with your friends too.

• Are both confirmations part of the Escrow feature?
  
  - Only trade confirmations NOT market confirmations. The Steam Escrow feature puts items on hold for 3 days if one or both players do not have the Steam Mobile Authenticator for at least 7 days and had trade confirmations off.
  
  
  
• I'm confused about the Mobile Authenticator and Escrow. Does this mean I have to type in a code through every trade I make?
  
  - No. The Steam Mobile Authenticator only gives Steam login codes from where you activated the Authenticator. They do not in any way give codes to confirm trades rather you do receive confirmations regarding traded items which you have to click to confirm(and not to be typed) either from your Authenticator or from your email. They are not random-generated codes but a simple 'Confirm' click.
  
  
  
• I don't own a smartphone or any device that's capable of having the Steam Mobile Application. Can I still bypass the Escrow feature?
  
  - Currently, you can't. You need to have the Steam Mobile Application as it is the only way to having a Steam Mobile Authenticator. Otherwise, every trade you do will always be placed on a trade hold until you have had your Mobile Authenticator enabled for at least 7 days and had trade confirmations enabled.
  
  
  
• Will Escrow actually kill trading?
  
  - Certainly not save for trading bots operated by their owners unless they have multiple phone numbers for each bot. Those who didn't have their account's Steam Guard set to Mobile Authenticator for at least 7 days will be greatly affected. Those who did have it enabled on the other hand wouldn't feel the effects of this new security feature.
  
  
  
• Wow! I NEED to have a phone number to get the Authenticator and then I NEED to confirm trades and market listings through my email or the Authenticator itself! Isn't that very ridiculous?
  
  - With the growing amount of phishers and hackers, Steam wants its community to be safe and vigilant from any online attackers trying to steal personal information. Take note that you need trade confirmations on and had the Authenticator enabled on your account for at least 7 days to remove trade holds. Market confirmations are separate and not part of the whole Escrow feature.
  
  
  
• So the Mobile Authenticator is for login purposes and confirmation of trades while trade holds only apply to less than seven days old Authenticator-enabled accounts and disabled trade confirmations?
  
  - Exactly.
  
  
  
• Didn't trade and market confirmations exist before trade holds were announced?
  
  - Yes, Valve just wanted to let people re-read it again so they won't be confused of the new feature.
  
  
  
• I'm a player who uses Steam on other computers through internet cafes and I have Mobile Authenticator enabled. Do I still need my phone to get my login codes from the Authenticator? What if the internet cafe has no wi-fi signal and only directs its internet to the computers than to other outside devices searching for internet connections?
  
  - Yes. The Steam Mobile Application actually works even if you have no internet connection on that device. It will still display the login code generated every 30 seconds but you can't change the Steam Guard settings while offline.
  
  
  
• Wait... even if I had the Authenticator enabled for more than 7 days, I still need to type the login codes from my Authenticator?
  
  - That's right. It also applies when you log out your account even if you had 'Remember my Password' checked on the Steam Client or any other web browser, it will still require the login code from your Authenticator. This is to make sure that hackers will not have an easy time trying to steal your account.
  
  
  
• I've been friends with a Steam player for 2 years and I deleted him accidentally. Will the 1 day trade hold still apply to me?
  
  - No. Since you deleted him, the trade holds wait time resets back to 3 days but is still bypassed if both of you have Authenticator enabled for 7 days and had trade confirmations enabled.
  
  
  
• I accidentally cancelled the trade when the items were put on hold. What do I do?
  
  - Basically, you gave yourself a trade cooldown for 7 days. It is advised to be EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS with trading the items you desire to be traded away.

Feel free to ask me anything about the FAQ I made or if I missed something out, just make a comment on this guide.

Thanks for reading!