Session is a web-based video-conferencing application that can be affected by your device, network, and browser settings. The following troubleshooting steps will help to resolve the majority of the issues you might encounter.
Check your internet speed and network
We recommend a minimum of 5mbps download and 2mbps upload. Ideally, it’s good to have 30mbps download and 10mbps upload or higher for the best quality. You can check your internet connection at speedtest.net.
If your internet connection isn't ideal, you may see a related warning message appearing on screen in Session. There are some things that might help:
- Use ethernet cable instead of wifi.
- Make sure there are no software updates, online radio/streaming apps, torrents running in the background, and that other people aren’t heavily using the same internet connection (e.g. IPTV or kids on an Xbox)
- Reboot the device and router.
Additionally, if you are using a VPN (network) or device provided by your employer, ensure your device can access and share your camera and microphone. Some antivirus software can block your device from sharing your camera and microphone too.
Restart Your Computer
Many issues that would take forever or be impossible to track down are solved by restarting the computer before joining the meeting. The majority of issues with the microphone or camera not working are solved by this as it ensures that there are no other video applications holding onto audio or video for any reason.
Check Your Browser
Make sure you’re joining the meeting from a compatible browser. Session works best on Chrome, Firefox, or Edge Chromium.
Browser Updates: Some issues might be caused by browsers not being updated to the latest version. Here are instructions for updating Chrome, here for Firefox, and here for Microsoft Edge (Chromium).
Hard refresh: When you visit a webpage, your browser stores pieces of information on your drive so it can load the page faster the next time you visit it. Sometimes this causes issues.
- On Windows (Chrome or Firefox): hold down Ctrl and ⇧ Shift and then press R.
- On macOS (Chrome or Firefox) hold down ⌘ Cmd and ⇧ Shift and then press R. This will reload the page whilst forcing the browser to ignore any data it has locally stored for the site.
Incognito/private browsing. Try incognito/private browsing. Chrome and Edge: Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows) or Command+Shift+N (macOS). Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows) or Command+Shift+P (macOS).
If the issue gets resolved by hard refresh and private browsing, you may need to clear the cache and cookies in your browser. Here are the instructions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
Extensions are sometimes causing issues with web pages functioning. Open the incognito/private window and disable extensions if you see any.
- On Chrome, three dots in the top right > More tools > Extensions > click "Details" for extensions that were showing in the incognito window > turn off the option "Allow in incognito" in the bottom right.
- On Firefox, click on three horizontal lines in the top right corner > Add-ons > Extensions, and then turn off any that are showing as active in Private Browsing.
Use Headphones When Participating On-screen
This will help eliminate echo and feedback.
Check Your Audio Setup
If you don’t hear any sound in the meeting, try playing a file on your desktop device and playing a YouTube video in the same browser. Depending on whether you can hear audio from other apps and browser tabs, we recommend the following:
- Make sure your device's sound output isn't muted. Here you can learn how to check your audio settings on Windows and macOS. If needed, follow the audio troubleshooting steps for your operating system Windows 10 and macOS.
- Make sure the browser tab with the Session meeting isn’t muted. When using browsers like Chrome or Firefox, each tab can be muted individually. Right-click a tab to see its status. The option will say Unmute tab or Unmute site if it is currently silenced.
- If you have a Bluetooth headset, try a wired headset (if possible).
Check Your Microphone and Camera
If can’t share your microphone or camera, try one of the following:
- If you’re using an external microphone or camera, make sure they are plugged in and switched on.
- Ensure that your microphone isn't muted or disabled within the device's OS.
- Make sure there are no other active applications using the same devices (Webex, Zoom, Teams, etc.). If so, close these applications.
- Ensure your browser's permissions are granted to have access to your camera and microphone. In Chrome, type into the URL bar: chrome://settings/content; in Firefox, type about:preferences#privacy.
- Try using an alternate device, e.g. wired headset instead of a Bluetooth one.
Check Your Browser's Screen Recording permission (macOS)
If you need to present and start a screen share when using a macOS device, ensure your browser has permission to record your screen. Open your computer's System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Screen Recording > find your browser in the list and check the box. Then quit and relaunch your browser.
Check CPU Usage
Devices with low processing power may significantly slow down when you join video calls, especially if a lot of people are on camera. Using streaming software or virtual cameras adds to high CPU usage. This may result in lagging, grayed-out video feeds, issues with an unresponsive browser, etc.
To check if CPU usage is causing it, you need to check CPU usage when the issue occurs. On macOS that’s Cmd+Space > Activity Monitor. On Windows it’s Ctrl+Alt+Delete > Task Manager > Performance. There are some things that might help:
- Closing other applications can help.
- If you're using a virtual camera or a virtual background, switch it off.
- Participants switching their cameras off might help.
- Switching from Chrome to Firefox might help.
- If a more powerful device is available, switching to it is recommended.
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