Steam client inhibits the screensaver and sleep

[nmiell]

Your system information

• Steam client version (build number or date): Jun 14 2018, at 19:23:37
• Steam package versions: 1529009056
• Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Fedora 28
• Opted into Steam client beta?: Yes
• Have you checked for system updates?: Yes

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

The screensaver does not start while the Steam client is running.

When the Steam client is started, a GNOME session idle inhibitor is created with an app ID of "My SDL application". This inhibitor vanishes immediately when I quit the Steam client.

Looking at the SDL source, any use of SDL Video automatically blocks the screensaver and you have to explicitly allow the screensaver by calling SDL_EnableScreensaver().

Steps for reproducing this issue:

1. Run the Steam client
2. Wait for the screensaver timeout

[HyperEye]

I have the same problem running KDE (Plasma Desktop 5) on Gentoo Linux. Power management is suppressed and plasma shows: "My SDL application is currently suppressing power management: Playing a game". This keeps the desktop from locking and my displays do not go into power saving mode. Power management resumes when I quit Steam.

[random2324]

Can confirm here with Deepin. Even more problematic is that, atleast for me, even after closing Steam monitor turning off still doesnt work.
Very nasty problem.

[nightsky30]

Running Xubuntu 18.04 with XFCE. Since the new beta I can confirm that my desktop has not been sleeping as it did prior. I thought something was strange.

[ghost]

Running Linux Mint 19 and can confirm the same issue. Reverting back to the stable version of steam makes the desktop sleep again.

[Culted]

same issue on opensuse tumbleweed with gnome 3.28.2 and steam beta, just tested it with the non beta client and its working

[NTMan]

This issue is not observed anymore with steam client version 1531272277 and Fedora 29 (Rawhide).

[nmiell]

Can confirm, thanks for the fix.

[safield]

I am observing this behaviour with the latest steam client version.

[cypher0n3]

I am also observing the same behavior in the latest Steam client beta version as of Dec 20, 2019

[dabercro]

I'm seeing this on Manjaro. The Steam client claims to be up to date. The problem disappears when I close the client window, but Steam is still running. Following the suggestion from https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/309696/how-do-i-find-out-which-application-is-disabling-sleep, while the window is open I get:

$ dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.freedesktop.PowerManagement /org/freedesktop/PowerManagement/Inhibit org.freedesktop.PowerManagement.Inhibit.GetInhibitors
method return time=1592967428.638786 sender=:1.32 -> destination=:1.151 serial=88 reply_serial=2
   array [
      string "./steamwebhelper"
      string "./steamwebhelper"
   ]

[winny-]

@nmiell please reopen. xset dpms force off turns the screen off, then flashes back on when steam is open, even if only running in the notification area. The only mitigation I found is to exit steam.

[kisak-valve]

Hello @winny-, this issue is currently being tracked at #5607. Prodding the closed issue report isn't beneficial.

[winny-]

@kisak-valve thank you for the explicit "Closed as duplicate notification". It's clear multiple posters did not realize this is a duplicate.

[kisak-valve]

In this case it's not a duplicate. There was a month between this issue being resolved and that similar issue showing up.

[Avamander]

I just noticed the same issue. Very annoying.

Also the window title is incorrect, it's not really "My SDL application".

[nikurasutan]

Same Issue here, it looks like that's still not fixed. I'm using Manjaro 20.0.3 "Lysia" with the KDE-Desktop.
I'm not using the Steam-Beta and my build date is 31th July 2020 at 09:12:33