Video & audio issues

Before you start

If you can't see or hear the other person during a SkillSwap session — or they can't see/hear you — the issue is usually with browser permissions, device settings or the network.

Step 1 — Check browser camera & mic permissions

Your browser must have access to your camera and microphone for the video room to work.

• Look for a camera / microphone icon in the browser address bar when you're in the video room.
• Make sure access is set to Allow for app.skillswap.io.
• If you previously blocked it, change it to Allow and refresh.

Step 2 — Check in-room controls

Inside the SkillSwap video room, make sure you haven't muted yourself by accident:

• Confirm your microphone icon is not crossed out.
• Confirm your camera icon is enabled if you want to share video.
• Try toggling mute/unmute once.

Step 3 — Test your device audio

If you can't hear anything, test your device's sound outside of SkillSwap:

• Play a short video or song on another site/app.
• Check your volume and output device (e.g. headphones vs speakers).
• If you're using Bluetooth headphones, reconnect them before rejoining the call.

Step 4 — Close conflicting apps

Other apps using your camera or microphone (Zoom, Teams, Discord etc.) can block access.

• Quit video-conference apps running in the background.
• Close any browser tabs using your camera.
• Reload the SkillSwap video room.

Step 5 — Check your connection

Poor connection can cause frozen video or choppy audio.

• Move closer to your Wi-Fi router if possible.
• Ask others on your network to pause heavy downloads/streams during your session.
• If video keeps freezing, try turning off your own camera to save bandwidth.

Step 6 — Try rejoining the call

In many cases, simply leaving and rejoining fixes the issue for one or both participants.

• Leave the video room.
• Refresh the page.
• Click Connect again from the Calendar.

Related safety information

• Video call safety
• Video call basics