Having trouble joining a session?

For the best experience, use the latest version of Google Chrome. It has the strongest support for video calling and is least likely to cause issues.

You can download it at google.com/chrome.

Safari works too, but needs a couple of settings checked:

• Go to Settings → Safari → Privacy & Security and make sure “Prevent Cross-Site Tracking” is turned off.
• Check that Safari has permission to access your camera and microphone — on iPhone/iPad this is under Settings → Safari → Camera / Microphone.

When you first join a call, your browser will ask to use your camera and microphone. You must click Allow.

If you accidentally blocked access, you can fix it:

• Chrome / Edge: Click the lock or tune icon in the address bar → set Camera and Microphone to Allow → reload the page.
• Safari (Mac): Open Safari → Settings → Websites → set Camera and Microphone to Allow for this site.
• iPhone / iPad: Go to Settings → Safari → Camera and Microphone and make sure they’re enabled.

On macOS, also check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera / Microphone and make sure your browser is toggled on.

Try these steps:

• Try an incognito / private window — this rules out browser extensions blocking the call.
• Close other video apps (Zoom, Teams, FaceTime) — they may be holding the camera or microphone.
• Restart your browser — especially after changing permissions.
• Try a different browser — if Safari isn’t working, switch to Chrome.

If your video is choppy, keeps freezing, or you can’t connect at all:

• Switch to mobile data — some school or work networks block video calling.
• Move closer to your WiFi router, or use a wired (Ethernet) connection.
• Close other tabs and apps that might be using bandwidth (streaming, large downloads).
• Turn off your camera if the connection is very poor — audio-only uses much less bandwidth.

• Echo or feedback? Use headphones or earbuds. This stops your speaker audio being picked up by the microphone.
• Can’t hear the other person? Ask them to check their microphone is unmuted, and check your device volume is turned up.
• Click the small arrow next to the mic icon in the call toolbar to check which microphone and speaker are selected.

School-managed devices and Chromebooks may have restrictions that block video calls. You may need to ask your IT administrator to:

• Allow access to *.8x8.vc (the video call service).
• Enable camera and microphone permissions for your browser.