"This article is very vague": Valorant's latest direction regarding unauthorized 3rd-party apps leaves players confused

Riot's recent statement regarding Valorant players' use of third-party apps have left players scratching their heads as to which websites fall where on the scale.

Given that the statement from the company has the word "BANNED" in all caps, players are worried that they may have their accounts punished if they are not wary of which applications they use.

The knee-jerk reaction to this has been some third-party tracking websites retweeting the parent post with the quote that they are officially recognized by Riot and that Valorant players are safe in their hands.

Players have also been commenting regarding the convoluted and vague nature of the tweet and how the statement expects the layman to have technical knowledge.

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Riot warns Valorant players that third-party apps can get them banned; stops short of listing examples

Shared on their official Valorant Twitter channel, Riot explained that any use of unauthorized third-party apps that pull information that is hidden by the game client will result in the player getting banned. The tweet links to an earlier article on Riot's site explaining what constitutes an official third-party app.

The linked post from July 2020 discusses the launch of Valorant API, what it entails, and what the set of data should not be used for. According to the statement, Riot's goal is to let players take ownership of their data and have the choice whether to share it or not. The company mentioned two points regarding how the data should not be used:

• No personal profiles, scouting tools, guides based on individual players, or personalized data of any kind, UNLESS an individual player chooses to share their data.
• No direct substitutes for any in-game queue system.

Since it does not clear any confusion regarding what apps players can or cannot be used, the statement has been construed as vague by players, with whatever Riot's intent was behind the tweet, lost. Prominent Valorant dataminer on Twitter, @floxayyy, shared a TwitLonger post citing similar concerns with Riot's wording.

They mentioned that not every player is accustomed to the technical terms mentioned in the article on Riot's website to discern which third-party apps won't earn their account a ban. The comments under the tweet have players asking around whether the popular ones are safe or not.

Tracker Network, Blitz, and Spike Stats have responded to the tweet in order to clarify that their website utilizes official API provided by the company with approved access. Players will not be banned for using them. Spike Stats further suggested that players should steer clear of applications showing "MMR rating" or "in-game store."

Meanwhile, it would be helpful to players if Riot provides them with a list of websites or applications that are officially recognised by the company and would not be a cause for concern. Players have spent time and money leveling up their accounts and procuring cosmetics. A ban would completely ruin the experience.