Steam Link on Quest 3: shows black window when I close the app and then reopen it after one successful 2D connection with host PC

[ackalker]

Your system information

• Steam client version (build number or date): 1782866176
• Steam Link app version: 2.0.22, version code 5002145, on Meta Quest 3
• Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): CachyOS
• Opted into Steam client beta?: No
• Have you checked for system updates?: Yes
• Steam Logs: steam-logs.tar.gz
• GPU: Nvidia RTX 5080

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

Expected results:

• I should be able to open, connect in 2D mode, use, and close the Steam Link app on my Quest 3 repeatedly, with the app window showing Big Picture mode or my game every time.

Actual results

• I am able to connect to my host PC in 2D mode, exactly once. After I close Steam Link, every time I open the app again, it shows a blank screen.
• Important detail: When I launch Steam Link the first (working) time, I hear the Steam Link startup sound.
  When I then close Steam Link and launch it again (to a black screen), I hear nothing.
  Only when I close the app once more, I now hear the Steam Link sound after the app's window is already gone.
• I can repeat this as many times as I want, with similar results.

Steps for reproducing this issue:

1. On the host PC, launch Steam.
2. On the Quest 3, launch Steam Link from the Navigator.
3. Select the host PC.
4. Choose 2D mode.
5. Select Connect.
6. if needed, grant permission for remote access to the host PC's display.
7. Browse around, play a game, whatever.
8. Close Steam Link using the Close button below its window.
9. Launch Steam Link again from the Navigator..

From this experience, especially the startup sound playing after I close the app, I get the very strong impression that something related to the Steam Link app is lingering around after I've closed it. Sadly, Meta has locked down Horizon OS so hard that I can't force close an app that is acting up, so restarting my Quest 3 seems to be the only way to break out of this loop.

[Packetdancer]

Honestly, I have no idea where this issue should normally go -- it's technically not SteamVR, even though it's on the Quest. The 2D streaming part of the Quest app is provided by the normal Android Steam Link app; the Quest app is literally two apps fused together, with the VRLink one just piggybacking off of the normal 2D one. The bug here would almost certainly show up even if you installed just the normal Android Steam Link app, minus the VR portion.

But I agree with @kisak-valve that steam-for-linux feels even more wrong. Probably the normal place to report this would be the Steam Link support forums in the Android or Meta Quest sections.

ANYWAY, that aside... you're still in luck, OP, because I'm also one of the folks who does the 2D Steam Link stuff, so I am familiar with that codebase as well. And I suspect I know what's going on here; I'll take a look later this week. So we might as well just leave the issue in this github repo's issue tracker.