We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.

There's an update out for the new Steam Chat system for everyone along with changes only available for those in the Steam Client Beta.

One niggle I saw a few people unhappy with in our comments, was the removal of the fully offline mode for the friends system. In the Steam Client Beta this has been restored. In addition, Valve has added a 'Do Not Disturb' mode to get no notifications from friends or groups which includes not opening windows or playing sounds for new messages.

To make it even better, they added the option to not sign into the friends system when the Steam Client loads up. Along with fixing an issue with the friends list opening by itself on startup.

As for what everyone gets in the stable client: Clicking your avatar on the friends lists will take you to your profile, they fixed not being able to close friends windows when in a disconnected state, added a "/quote" formatting option, embedded videos and images are smaller, fixed some weird spacing issues in the UI and more.

It's fantastic to see them act on feedback, hopefully this will improve the experience for everyone. It certainly sounds like they're taking feedback on board.

Full changelog can be found here.

Ps. We have a GamingOnLinux Steam Group with a chat room you can join by clicking here.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Steam, Valve
13 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
13 comments
Page: 1/2»
  Go to:

GustyGhost Jul 29, 2018
Even though I don't use Steam anymore, I consider this a positive change however small.
ElectricPrism Jul 29, 2018
Valve, where when mistakes are made, fixes shortly follow.
Doc Angelo Jul 29, 2018
Quoting: ArticleTo make it even better, they added the option to not sign into the friends system when the Steam Client loads up.

That's the one feature I was missing. Now I don't have to remember to make myself invisible before I quit the client. Good on them to listen to customer feedback.

Quoting: SteamAdded 'Offline' as a selectable status. This will log the user's client out of Steam Friends and the user will appear as offline to their friends.

Seems to be the same as with the old chat. You're still able to receive and write messages, but the notifications are different.

What I found kinda weird is that there are now two settings for the microphone. One section is in the old location, in Steam Menu > Settings. The other is if you click on the gear icon in the friends window. I don't see a reason for keeping those two settings separate.


Last edited by Doc Angelo on 29 July 2018 at 7:33 am UTC
Doc Angelo Jul 29, 2018
Quoting: GuestUnfortunately I haven’t found an option to not sort friends by the game they are playing, and not display so prominently (and twice) that game…

I really liked with the old friends system that I could put some people into a "GAME XY" category, and they would only turn up there, and not in the standard friends list. That was a nice way of putting people you only know through this particular game into a "folder" without them wasting space in the friends list.

I understand that "Favorites" is kinda the solution for that, but I'm not yet sure if I like that.
tuubi Jul 29, 2018
View PC info
  • Supporter
Quoting: Doc Angelo
Quoting: SteamAdded 'Offline' as a selectable status. This will log the user's client out of Steam Friends and the user will appear as offline to their friends.

Seems to be the same as with the old chat. You're still able to receive and write messages, but the notifications are different.
I tested this briefly: Invisible status does what you describe, and if you're offline, you need to sign in to actually send or receive messages, or even see your friends list. Just like before.

Quoting: Doc AngeloWhat I found kinda weird is that there are now two settings for the microphone. One section is in the old location, in Steam Menu > Settings. The other is if you click on the gear icon in the friends window. I don't see a reason for keeping those two settings separate.
It's the beta. Unfinished features sometimes pop up, but usually they get cleaned up before they end up in stable.
Doc Angelo Jul 29, 2018
Quoting: tuubiIt's the beta. Unfinished features sometimes pop up, but usually they get cleaned up before they end up in stable.

The reduntant (?) audio settings are also in the stable release. I don't have the beta channel active.


Quoting: tuubiI tested this briefly: Invisible status does what you describe, and if you're offline, you need to sign in to actually send or receive messages, or even see your friends list. Just like before.

Good to hear that they've properly named offline mode for the chat. Not sure for what it's good, but now it works as expected. Before (the old chat) you could certainly receive and write messages. I remember my friends asking me how it is possible that I can write messages while being offline. The answer: You wasn't actually offline in the old chat. It was just a cosmetic thing. They shouldn't have called it offline before.


Last edited by Doc Angelo on 29 July 2018 at 9:38 am UTC
tuubi Jul 29, 2018
View PC info
  • Supporter
Quoting: Doc Angelo
Quoting: tuubiIt's the beta. Unfinished features sometimes pop up, but usually they get cleaned up before they end up in stable.

The reduntant (?) audio settings are also in the stable release. I don't have the beta channel active.
Oh, okay. Maybe they didn't want to just remove the old way of configuring the mic before users get used to the new one. Makes sense as long as the new chat can be disabled with a command line switch.
Doc Angelo Jul 29, 2018
Quoting: tuubiOh, okay. Maybe they didn't want to just remove the old way of configuring the mic before users get used to the new one. Makes sense as long as the new chat can be disabled with a command line switch.

Seems like some settings are synced across both sections, while others are exclusive to either one. The "microphone volume" from the "ingame voice" settings affects the "voice chat" volume, too, but it isn't displayed there. It's a mess honestly. The polish is not very high on this stable release. The main Steam window has shadows, the chat window not. Both windows don't snap at each other anymore. The old main view and the new chat view are kinda like two versions active at the same time.

But maybe that's just in line with the PC gaming spirit: Not very polished, but always the newest stuff. :D


Last edited by Doc Angelo on 29 July 2018 at 10:09 am UTC
1xok Jul 29, 2018
Do you think it will replace Discord?

I personally have never really used Discord, so I can't judge that.
Liam Dawe Jul 29, 2018
Quoting: 1xokDo you think it will replace Discord?

I personally have never really used Discord, so I can't judge that.
I highly doubt that, because it's tied to a single platform.
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
The comments on this article are closed.