diff --git a/src/js/room-picker.js b/src/js/room-picker.js
index d0bc0b9..9192ae9 100644
--- a/src/js/room-picker.js
+++ b/src/js/room-picker.js
@@ -193,6 +193,15 @@ class Room extends ElemJS {
 		}
 	}
 
+	getHeroes() {
+		if (this.data.summary) {
+			return this.data.summary["m.heroes"]
+		} else {
+			const me = lsm.get("mx_user_id")
+			return this.data.state.events.filter(e => e.type === "m.room.member" && e.content.membership === "join" && e.state_key !== me).map(e => e.state_key)
+		}
+	}
+
 	getName() {
 		// if the room has a name
 		let name = this.data.state.events.find(e => e.type === "m.room.name")
@@ -205,7 +214,7 @@ class Room extends ElemJS {
 			return canonicalAlias.content.alias
 		}
 		// if the room has no alias, use the names of its members ("heroes")
-		const users = this.data.summary["m.heroes"]
+		const users = this.getHeroes()
 		if (users && users.length) {
 			const usernames = users.map(mxid => this.getMemberName(mxid))
 			return usernames.join(", ")
@@ -224,7 +233,7 @@ class Room extends ElemJS {
 			}
 		}
 		// if the room has no avatar set, use a member's avatar
-		const users = this.data.summary["m.heroes"]
+		const users = this.getHeroes()
 		if (users && users[0] && this.members.has(users[0])) {
 			// console.log(users[0], this.members.get(users[0]))
 			const userAvatar = this.members.get(users[0]).value().content.avatar_url
diff --git a/src/js/sync/sync.js b/src/js/sync/sync.js
index b445253..f8bfc52 100644
--- a/src/js/sync/sync.js
+++ b/src/js/sync/sync.js
@@ -58,15 +58,15 @@ function manageSync(root) {
 					}
 					const room = store.rooms.get(id).value()
 					const timeline = room.timeline
-					if (data.state) timeline.updateStateEvents(data.state.events)
-					if (data.timeline) {
+					if (data.state && data.state.events) timeline.updateStateEvents(data.state.events)
+					if (data.timeline && data.timeline.events) {
 						if (!timeline.from) timeline.from = data.timeline.prev_batch
 						if (data.timeline.events.length) {
 							newEvents = true
 							timeline.updateEvents(data.timeline.events)
 						}
 					}
-					if (data.ephemeral) timeline.updateEphemeral(data.ephemeral.events)
+					if (data.ephemeral && data.ephemeral.events) timeline.updateEphemeral(data.ephemeral.events)
 					if (data.unread_notifications) {
 						timeline.updateNotificationCount(data.unread_notifications.notification_count)
 						notificationsChange = true