TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS

The most challenging (exasperating) errors that can surface in ROOM usually involve a given user's ability to enter or stay in a meeting without issues. 

Regardless of the cause, many of these issues can be quickly resolved by the affected user without needing to email our support staff to create a ticket and get back later.

This troubleshooting tutorial article and its many bookmarked paragraphs are meant to easily help you personally resolve the issue and quickly return to your meeting by following the detailed steps of the relevant cause, as listed below.

 

Please note that despite any issues that may arise adversely affecting a user’s ability to stay and be heard in a meeting,  ROOM will always allow the user to:

(1) access the in-meeting chat featureto communicate said issues to the rest of his/her team.

Sample Chat window popup

 

(2)  rejoin the meeting by following error message links to a Help tutorial article specifically focusing on your issue.

 

 

TERMINOLOGY NOTE: This article will mention several error notifications that include the term “permissions”. This is simply a word used to talk about accessibility between, say, a user’s device and their browser. Not having permission means that important data will not be transmitted or shared, and can be easily resolved by the user checking a box(es) that changes that status (the settings status).

Also, concerning our use of the word "desktop device", this term is used to designate not only desktop-bound tower computers, but also laptops.

 

The above-mentioned error messages will fall into one of the three following categories:

• Browser messages (setting up mic and camera permissions for Chrome, Safari and MS Edge)
• Operating system messages
• User’s “device” (desktop computer, mobile device, tablet)

 

Compatibility
When we mention browser compatibility for each device, we are referring to the following recommended specs. ROOM works on PC or Mac desktop/laptop computers as well as on Android and iOS phones and iPads using the following browsers:

 

These are the recommended specs for all users (account holders and invitees), alike:

ANDROID: Google Chrome 100 (Recommended: Google Chrome version 108)

ANDROID: Microsoft Edge 100 (Recommended: Microsoft Edge version 108)

MacOS X: Google Chrome 100 or Safari ver 15.5 (Recommended: Google Chrome ver 108, Safari 16)

iOS: Google Chrome 100 or Safari ver 15.5 (Recommended: Google Chrome ver 108, Safari 16)

 

ARTICLE CONTENTS

• CAMERA AND MICROPHONE blocked by System Settings: Identity Panel, Inside Settings, Inside Room
  • Windows OS Desktop (Chrome, Edge)
  • Mac OS Desktop (Chrome, Safari)
  • Android mobile device (Chrome)
  • iPhone (Chrome, Safari)
  • iPad (Chrome, Safari)

• CAMERA AND MICROPHONE blocked by Browser Settings: Identity Panel, Inside Settings, Inside Room
  • Windows OS Desktop
  • Mac OS Desktop
  • Android mobile device
  • iPhone
  • iPad

• ANOTHER APPLICATION IS USING USER’S CAMERA: Identity Panel, Inside Settings, Inside Room
  • ALL DEVICES -same fix: Windows OS Desktop, Mac OS Desktop, Android mobile device, iPhone, iPad
• NO OUTPUT DEVICE PROPERLY SET UP OR SOUND DRIVER ISSUES: Identity Panel, Inside Settings, Inside Room
  • Windows OS Desktop
  • Mac OS Desktop
  • Android mobile device
  • iPhone
  • iPad
• BROWSER DOESN’T ALLOW TO SWITCH ON HEADPHONES (on Android mobile device)
• FULL-SCREEN ERRORS: User employing an outdated version of supported browser
• FULL-SCREEN ERRORS: User employing an unsupported browser
• FULL-SCREEN ERRORS: User unable to access the room due to network issues 
• FULL-SCREEN ERRORS: User is unexpectedly kicked out of the room due to network issues

 

If you did not arrive at this article through a link directing you to a quick fix for your error message and instead, are reading the entire (long) article from beginning to end, it bears to mention that each section will share the following format, separated by their different error messages. See sample below.

 

 

Error messages shown will be followed by screenshots of desktop, mobile and iOS tablet devices as reference to more easily follow the resolution steps. 

 

 

 

 

STEPS TO RESOLVE LISTED ERRORS on CONTENT LIST

 

 

CAMERA AND MICROPHONE blocked by System Settings

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for Device:  Windows OS Desktop: 

Go to System settings → Select Privacy → Select Camera/Microphone and provide access to the apps/browser for which we need camera and microphone access

 

Camera Settings selection

 

 

Microphone Settings selection

 

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for Device:   MAC OS Desktop:

Identity Panel popup, Inside Settings, Inside Room

 

Go to system settings → Select security and privacy → Select Camera/Microphone and provide access to the apps/browser for which we need camera and microphone access by selecting the check-box.

 

Camera Settings selection

 

 

Microphone Settings selection

 

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for Device:  Android mobile device:

Identity Panel popup, Inside Settings, Inside Room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. From the System settings:

Go to system settings → Select Permissions → Again Select permissions option → Check for apps denied with Camera and Microphone access → Enable the Access for Application/Browser you need.

 

   

 

 

3. From the System settings:

Select Privacy → Select permissions manager → Check for apps denied with Camera and Microphone access → Enable the Access for application/Browser you need.

   

 

 

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for Device:   iPhone: 

Identity Panel popup, Inside Settings, Inside Room

 

There are two ways to unblock the Camera and microphone access1. Go to device settings → Select Privacy from the list → Select the browser → Select Camera/Microphone → Provide access by enabling the toggle. 

           

 

 

 

2. Go to device settings →  Select Privacy from the list → Select the application/Browser for which you need to provide camera and microphone access and provide the access.

      

 

 

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for Device:  iPad:

Identity Panel popup, Inside Settings, Inside Room

                           

                      DESKTOP VIEW OF Identity Panel (pop-up)                                      DESKTOP VIEW OF In-Room Device Settings pop-up (see steps below)

 

                     Device Settings being selected from the in-meeting tool tray via the "More ("...") icon at the screen's bottom tool tray

 

 

   

  Identity Panel on Mobile displaying respective Camera and Microphone error messages   

 

 

 

DETAIL of DESKTOP VIEW of the Persistent On-screen (pop-up) message shown below in full view

 

 

    IN-MEETING Mobile Portrait Mode     

 

 

         IN-MEETING Mobile Landscape Mode

 

 

        

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for:  Windows OS Desktop

Identity Panel, Inside Settings, Inside Room

 

 

 

2. Go to Browser settings* → Select Privacy and security → Select the room application site → Allow access for camera and microphone → Reload the page to apply the changes.

*NOTE: Browser Settings is located on Chrome's header (just below any tabs that you might have opened), there is a More icon...

 

... which will open a drop-down list. Select Settings near the list's bottom.

 

This will take you to a new page, from which you select Privacy and Security from the list on your screen's left, then Site Settings from the list in the middle of the screen.

The ensuing popup/table will have a list of sites if you select Recent Activities. If it doesn't list ROOM3D.com on that short list, then click on View Permissions & Data Across Sites (just below any listed websites), which will open a comprehensive list of websites.

Whether you select ROOM3D.com from this list or the previous short list, you'll be directed to a list of that website's permissions of all kinds, although Camera and Microphones will be on separate but adjacent entries near the top of the list.

 

When you find Room3d.com click on the arrow icon to its right to open all possible Permissions that you can manage, including Camera & Microphone accessibility.

 

Finish by reloading the page to apply the changes.

 

In Microsoft Edge browser

There are two ways to unblock the Camera and microphone access:

 

 

 

2. Go to browser settings → Select Cookies and Site permissions → Select the Room Website → set the Camera and Microphone to Allow

 

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for:  Mac OS Desktop

Identity Panel, Inside Settings, Inside Room

 

 

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for Device:  Android mobile device 

 

 

 

2.  Go to Browser settings:  Select Site settings → Select Camera/Microphone option → Under the blocked sites section, select the room application site and allow the access for Camera/Microphone.

 

   

 

 

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for Device:  iPhone 

Identity Panel, Inside Settings, Inside Room

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for Device:  iPad 

Identity Panel, Inside Settings, Inside Room

 

   

 

 

 

   

   

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for Device:  iPad

Identity Panel, Inside Settings, Inside Room

 

     

 

 

 

Another Application is using user’s camera (or microphone)

 

Full screen error messages, for camera or microphone, respectively

 

 

DESKTOP Identity Panel with error messages, for camera (or microphone)

 

MOBILE's Identity Panel with error messages, for camera (or microphone)

 

Mobile in-room Portrait view with error message at screen's lower left

 

Mobile in-room Landscape view with error message at screen's lower left

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for:  ALL DEVICES

 

 

 

No Output Device properly set up OR Sound Driver issues

 

 

 

 

Error message displayed:

The audio device has issues (Mobile In-Meeting Persistent floating message, below) 

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for:

 

 

 

 

 

Android mobile device:

There are 2 ways to resolve this on Android:

1. Navigate to system settings → Click on Sound and vibration → Check for the Speaker volume

 

2. From the Browser settings → Click on site permissions → Click on sound → Set the sound permission to      the room application to allow

 

 

iPhone:

Go to system settings → Select Sound and Haptics → Check for the Speaker volume

 

iPad:  

Go to Settings > Sounds.

Drag the slider to set the volume for the "Ringer and Alerts"

Tap Ringtone and other options to select sounds for the ringtone and alert tones.

Set options for alert tones and ringtones, and ringer and alert volumes

 

 

 

User has unsupported browser for changing headphones 

   

This is by many accounts, a cryptic error, especially in light of the fact that headphone use is so common in online meetings and the error applies to a single device; nevertheless, the use case proceeds as follows:

• While in a ROOM meeting on an Android device  a user puts on headphones, and notices that there is no audio feedback (s/he can't hear anything)
• The user opens the Device Settings panel to try to resolve the issue by managing the audio settings and sees the error message there:  “We love chrome too but it doesn't support headphone mic yet.”

Resolution:  Currently, Android does not support the use of headphones in ROOM. The user only needs to disengage his/her headphones and will be able to proceed with the meeting using the normal built-in speakers. Please note that we are urgently endeavoring to resolve the user's ability to use headphones on this device post haste.

 

 

 

 

FULL-SCREEN ERROR: User has outdated supported browser

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for: ALL DEVICES

This is arguably, one of the simplest fixes that a user can perform. When the error comes up, you can easily click on the relevant button to download and install your browser's update.

These are the recommended (most updated) specs for all users (account holders and invitees):

• Windows 10 Desktop: Google Chrome version 100 or Microsoft Edge version 94.0.992.31
• Android: Google Chrome version 100
• Mac OS or iPhone: Google Chrome version 100 or Safari, version 15.5
• iPad:  Safari version 15.6

 

 

 

FULL-SCREEN ERROR: User using an unsupported browser

 

TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS for: ALL DEVICES

Another relatively simple user fix. As with the previous error, when it arises you can easily click on one of the available buttons to download and install a supported browser.

These are the recommended (most updated) specs for all users (account holders and invitees):

• Windows 10 Desktop: Google Chrome version 100 or Microsoft Edge version 94.0.992.31
• Android: Google Chrome version 100
• Mac OS or iPhone: Google Chrome version 100 or Safari, version 15.5
• iPad:  Safari version 15.6

 

 

 

FULL-SCREEN ERROR: Unable to access room - network issues

 

How do I check my internet stability?

To stabilize your connection, you first need to diagnose the problem.

If your connection is viable, but sluggish, you can check your internet stability by running a speed test. There are many different speed tests available online, many for free. If you reach out to an IT or network technician at work or at your Internet Service Provider, they will likely ask if you’ve run a speed test, as a baseline to help troubleshoot the extent of the connection issue. It is also quite common for the service technician to ask whether you have attempted to restart your device, a tried and true quick-fix that often remedies seemingly intractable problems.

 

The following are the most common reasons for internet stability issues:

 

Router Malfunction

Like restarting your device, reconnecting the router can often fix an unstable connection. Unplug the router from the power source and wait for 30 seconds before you plug it back in and try accessing the internet again.

If your router’s wireless connection is not working properly, your internet may be blocked, unstable or completely inaccessible. If your internet keeps disconnecting from your PC but works fine on other devices, such as your smart TV, it’s likely a router malfunction. On the other hand, if the internet connection is unstable on all devices, here are some of the most common causes, starting with the most common:

 

• Faulty Connection: This happens more often than you might think. If your router is not properly plugged in or if the cable is damaged, you connection will be adversely affected.
• Weak Signal: If the router is too far from the device, perhaps located in another room or otherwise partially blocked by furniture or other hardware, it can lead to a weak signal responsible for an unstable connection.
• Radio Signal Interference: If there are other devices in proximity to your router using the same radio frequency, it can lead to interference and an unstable connection.
• Faulty Hardware: Your internet connection’s instability may be due to a faulty piece of hardware, such as your modem or router.
• Software Issues: Your router must be optimally configured, otherwise it may lead to connectivity instability issues.

If your internet is not working and it’s not due to any of the above cases, it’s the equipment that is likely at fault, and such a problem can be solved locally.

 

Overloaded Channel

Connectivity issues may arise if there happen to be many people in your vicinity (your neighborhood or surrounding area) that are connecting through the same channel/ISP. This can lead to congestion/instability issues that will vary according to the time of day and is often the bane of remote workers.

 

Device Configuration

Although not as intuitive as many of the previous reasons discussed above, device configuration is nevertheless, relatively easy to resolve. If you happen to be accessing the internet on multiple devices, you must ensure that they are all properly configured; in other words, each device should ideally have a unique IP address and be on the same network.

Additionally, and even less intuitive – is the fact that some devices turn certain services off to prolong battery life, particularly on mobile devices. If you experience unstable connectivity issues when not using the device, it may possibly be due to power management settings that you can easily turn off.

 

Malicious Software

The severity of damage that can be inflicted by malicious software should not be underestimated. It can include critical parts of the system responsible for network connectivity. Although this is not the most likely reason that your connection is unstable, running a quick (or even deep) virus check would be prudent.

 

How to Fix Your Unstable Internet Connection

1. Reset the Router - Unplug your router from the its source and wait for 30 seconds before you plug it back in and try accessing the internet again. Some routers have restart buttons or WiFi signal setting functions to ensure any repeaters you have at home remain in synch.
2. Contact Your ISP and Check if There Is a Problem on Their End – This can save you a great deal of time in troubleshooting some of the more complicated network issues, considering the complexity of the entire internet connection, from your provider to the “last mile”.
3. Check for Software Updates – It’s important that you keep all your devices’ software are up to date with the latest updates

Update the Network Card Drivers - Visit your device’s manufacturer’s website, download the latest drivers and install them; afterwards, try accessing the internet again.

 

 

 

F.SCREEN ERROR: User expelled from meeting: network issue 

Despite its cryptic description, all you need to do to recover from this error is to click on the available button, "Go to Dashboard", which will redirect you to the Dashboard page. After a few minutes, try to enter the meeting again using the link you initially tried.

If you are a meeting organizer, you have the option of creating a new meeting from the Dashboard if the issue persists.

You also have the option of reporting the issue via the "Feedback" link at the screen's bottom.

 

 

(End of Error Troubleshooting tutorial article)