Friends names no longer display in Friends list

[infidelus]

Your system information

• Steam client version (build number or date): 21/05/2022
• Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Linux Mint, Kernel: 5.13, Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 (Driver: 510.73.05)
• Opted into Steam client beta?: [Yes/No] Mp
• Have you checked for system updates?: [Yes/No] Yes

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

Describe what you expected should happen and what did happen. Please link any large code pastes as a Github Gist

Following a recent Steam Linux client update, I can no longer see my friends' names in my Steam Friends list. All I now see is 'Online Friends (number)' and 'Offline (number)'.

If I mouse over where there names should be I get the pop-up with their avatar, though this seems somewhat buggy and does not always show.

Steps for reproducing this issue:

1. Launch Steam
2. Open Friends List
3. Mouse over where friends should display and find the mouseover popup

[Skylead]

Friends list is also bugged for me and not displaying users, running Manjaro Gnome with Steam (Runtime) installed. Using the beta steam client branch did resolve the issue though.

[infidelus]

Minor update from me. I don't know if it's consistent yet as I've only noticed it today and have been too busy to test further.

When I first start the computer, the friends' list seems fine, but if I suspend my PC (which I've been doing daily for years), when it resumes that's when the names seem to vanish, so it seems Steam chat isn't properly resuming from suspend with the latest update.

[Skylead]

I am seconding this update, after switching branches fixed it (while just restarting steam did not) waking up from sleep blanked it out again. Switching branches back again fixed but does seem to be a resume from sleep issue.

[desht]

Also seeing this on Linux Mint 19.3, after resuming from suspend. The problem goes away once Steam is restarted. I suspect this is the same problem as #8584 ?

[BryanStuurman]

I too have this issue when resuming, it's been reliably occurring for months now.

[infidelus]

An interim workaround, as mention in the report @desht linked to, is to run pkill steamwebhelper when you resume from standby.

Be nice if there was a proper fix though.

[desht]

I can confirm that does indeed work around the problem. Not ideal, but definitely helps for now.

[notoriousjere]

I too have this problem with the blank friends list, as well as other graphical glitches in the main library window when resuming:

system info:

             /////////////                ------@pop-os 
         /////////////////////            ------------- 
      ///////*767////////////////         OS: Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS x86_64 
    //////7676767676*//////////////       Kernel: 5.18.10-76051810-generic 
   /////76767//7676767//////////////      Uptime: 16 hours, 53 mins 
  /////767676///*76767///////////////     Packages: 1978 (dpkg), 6 (flatpak) 
 ///////767676///76767.///7676*///////    Shell: bash 5.1.16 
/////////767676//76767///767676////////   Resolution: 1920x1080, 1920x1080 
//////////76767676767////76767/////////   DE: GNOME 42.3.1 
///////////76767676//////7676//////////   WM: Mutter 
////////////,7676,///////767///////////   WM Theme: Pop 
/////////////*7676///////76////////////   Theme: Pop-dark [GTK2/3] 
///////////////7676////////////////////   Icons: Pop [GTK2/3] 
 ///////////////7676///767////////////    Terminal: gnome-terminal 
  //////////////////////'////////////     CPU: Intel i7-8700K (12) @ 4.900GHz 
   //////.7676767676767676767,//////      GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 
    /////767676767676767676767/////       Memory: 6517MiB / 32024MiB 
      ///////////////////////////
         /////////////////////                                    
             /////////////                                        

steam install info:

-----@pop-os:~$ apt list | grep "steam"
steam-devices/jammy,jammy,now 1:1.0.0.74-1pop1~1644936575~22.04~6d77918 all [installed,automatic]
steam-installer/jammy,jammy,now 1.0.0.74-1pop1~1644936575~22.04~6d77918 all [installed]
steam/jammy,now 1:1.0.0.74-1pop1~1644936575~22.04~6d77918 i386 [installed,automatic]
steamcmd/jammy 0~20180105-4 i386

Screenshot: https://imgur.com/wNe3WYf

---

Edit: Does anyone have a good method for running pkill steamwebhelper after every resume?

[desht]

This works for a Linux Mint system, and probably anything else systemd-based, following the guide here: https://blog.christophersmart.com/2016/05/11/running-scripts-before-and-after-suspend-with-systemd/

I created this in /lib/systemd/system-sleep/steamfix (be sure to make it executable - chmod 755):

#!/bin/sh

PATH=/sbin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin

case "$1" in
    pre)
            #code execution BEFORE sleeping/hibernating/suspending
    ;;
    post)
            #code execution AFTER resuming
        pkill steamwebhelper
    ;;
esac

exit 0

[infidelus]

I tried that the other day, but from /usr/lib/systemd/system-sleep/, and I've just tried from /lib/systemd/... as well. Both versions work, with one issue; when the Friends list tries to launch on resume, it can't connect to the network and you have to click Reload.

If you run the script manually, the disconnect doesn't happen.

[desht]

That is a problem, yep. If steamwebhelper restarts before your interface has been reconnected (suspending causes the interface to go down), then you'll see that "can't connect" message.

Either just live with needing to press reload, or it's probably possible to modify the script to wait until your main interface is up before doing the pkill.

[infidelus]

Thanks for confirming. I did try adding a 30 second sleep command to the script, but that didn't work. It's probably just as easy to run the script manually for now until Valve get round to fixing the actual problem, whenever that may be ...