Most session issues come down to browser permissions. Use Google Chrome if you can; it is the most reliable browser for Askable Sessions, and Microsoft Edge is a good alternative.
Participants: to check your computer is ready before a session, run the setup check.
My microphone or camera isn't working
Askable Sessions needs browser permission to use your camera and microphone. If Chrome shows a permission pop-up, click Allow.
To check permissions are enabled:
Click the icon to the left of the address bar (next to the Askable URL).
Turn on the toggles for both Camera and Microphone.
Refresh the page.
Still not working?
Check your camera and microphone are enabled in the call (lobby settings or the ⋯ menu during the call).
Close any other app or website that might be using your camera (Zoom, Teams, another tab).
I can't share my screen
Click the Share your screen button at the bottom of the call, then pick the screen, window or tab you want to share in the browser pop-up.
Tip: share a window or tab rather than your entire screen. It protects anything sensitive elsewhere on your desktop.
Screen share permission is denied
On macOS: Chrome needs screen recording permission from the operating system.
Open System Settings and go to Privacy & Security, then Screen Recording (called Screen & System Audio Recording on recent macOS versions).
Turn on Google Chrome.
Quit and reopen Chrome, then rejoin the session.
On Windows:
Open Settings and go to Privacy & security.
Under app permissions, open Camera, Microphone and Screen capture in turn.
Make sure access is on and Google Chrome is allowed.
If permissions look right but sharing still fails, double check you actually started the share inside the call and selected the correct window or tab.
My participant keeps joining as an observer
This usually means they opened an observer link instead of their own session link. Ask them to join from the email Askable sent them 15 minutes before the session, or from their Askable account or mobile app, not from a link you copied for teammates. If it keeps happening, contact support during the session and we will help get them in.
My recording or transcript isn't appearing
Work through these in order:
Wait for everyone to leave. Recordings only start processing after all attendees have exited the call, and processing takes longer for longer sessions.
Check recording was started. Recording is not automatic. If nobody clicked Record Call and saw the timer, there is no recording.
Check the participant's status. The View session button appears against the participant in your participant list once the session is complete.
Try the basics. Refresh the page, try an incognito window, try another network. Corporate VPNs and firewalls can block playback; see Corporate firewall configuration requirements.
If none of that helps, contact us via the ? icon in the bottom left and select Contact support. Include the study title, participant name, session date and time, and a screenshot of any error (for example "no playback video available" or "Playback error. Unable to load video"). We can then investigate and escalate to our engineers if needed.
Still stuck?
Message us on live chat via the ? icon in the bottom left. If a session is about to start, tell us that in your first message and we will prioritise it.