The mobile version of Minecraft available for iOS and Android devices released in November of last year, and while it's a serviceable recreation of the creation aspects of Minecraft, it lacked the survival ones.
The update to the game coming in February will lay the groundwork for the mobile version to feel closer to the PC counterpart. Daniel Kaplan, the "business guy," at Mojang, had this to say about the update: "In the background a lot of stuff has changed to support the survival aspects of the game. You will see some neat looking animals and new blocks," and "the foundation for survival will be mostly done and we can throw out much more fun updates!"
The update will be submitted on February 8 if all goes according to plan, so you can expect to download it shortly thereafter.
[via Mojang]