Do I have to turn my camera on?

No. You join with the camera off by default and can leave it off for the whole class. Most students keep the camera off and just use the microphone when they want to speak.

I tapped the microphone button and nothing happened.

Permission is almost certainly blocked. Look for the amber 'Camera and microphone blocked' message on the join screen and follow the three steps, or reopen the link in Chrome or Safari if you came from a chat app.

The bars don't move when I speak.

Check that the correct microphone is picked in the dropdown — a connected headset or Bluetooth earbud can grab the mic. Also make sure no other app, like a phone call or another meeting, is using the microphone.

Do I need to download an app?

No. The class runs in your browser. Chrome on Android and a laptop, or Safari on an iPhone or iPad, all work.

Can I join from a phone?

Yes, and most students do. Everything in this guide works the same on a phone.

Joining a class: allowing your camera and microphone

You don't need to install anything to join a class — the link opens in your browser. The only thing that ever needs setting up is permission for your camera and microphone, and that takes one tap.

First: open the link in Chrome or Safari

If your teacher sends the link on WhatsApp and you tap it there, WhatsApp often opens it inside its own little browser — and that one usually cannot use your microphone at all. Nothing is wrong with your phone; it's the browser you landed in.

Look for the three-dot menu in the corner and choose Open in Chrome (on iPhone, Open in Safari). If you're already in the wrong browser we show a warning at the top of the join screen telling you the same thing.

This one step fixes most "I can't turn my mic on" problems. If your mic is refusing to work and you opened the link from a chat app, try this before anything else.

Enter your name and join

Type your name and email, then tap Join class. Use your real name so your teacher knows who has arrived.

The join screen for a live class, with fields for your name and your email and a Join class button. — The first screen: your name, your email, then Join class.

Check your camera and mic before you go in

Next you get a setup screen. You start with your camera and microphone OFF, which is deliberate — you're never live before you expect to be. Tap the microphone or camera button to turn either on, and that is the moment your browser asks permission. Tap Allow.

With the microphone on, say a few words and watch the little bars move. Moving bars mean your teacher will hear you.

The setup screen before entering a class, showing a camera preview area, your name, camera and microphone pickers, a microphone level meter and a Join now button. — The setup screen. Turn on what you want to use, check the mic bars move, then Join now.

When you're happy, tap Join now and you're in the class.

Inside a live class, showing the teacher's shared screen with the class controls along the bottom including microphone and camera buttons and a Raise hand button. — Inside the class. The microphone and camera buttons at the bottom work the same way throughout.

If you tapped Block by mistake

This is the most common problem, and it is easy to undo. Once you have blocked permission, the browser stops asking — so nothing happens when you tap the microphone, which feels like the app is broken. It isn't.

The setup screen showing an amber panel that reads 'Camera and microphone blocked in your browser', with three numbered steps to unblock and a Try again button. — When permission is blocked, the join screen tells you and gives you the steps.

Tap the lock or sliders icon just to the left of the web address at the top of the screen.
Open Permissions and set camera and microphone to Allow.
Tap Try again on the page (or reload). If a popup appears, tap Allow.

On an Android phone, if it is still blocked after that, the permission may be switched off for Chrome itself: open Settings → Apps → Chrome → Permissions → Microphone → Allow.

You can always join with your camera and microphone off and turn them on later. Being blocked never stops you attending the class.

Do it once, before class

Open the link a few minutes early and go through the setup screen once. Your browser remembers the permission afterwards, so every future class just works and you're not sorting it out while everyone waits.

Do I have to turn my camera on?: No. You join with the camera off by default and can leave it off for the whole class. Most students keep the camera off and just use the microphone when they want to speak.
I tapped the microphone button and nothing happened.: Permission is almost certainly blocked. Look for the amber 'Camera and microphone blocked' message on the join screen and follow the three steps, or reopen the link in Chrome or Safari if you came from a chat app.
The bars don't move when I speak.: Check that the correct microphone is picked in the dropdown — a connected headset or Bluetooth earbud can grab the mic. Also make sure no other app, like a phone call or another meeting, is using the microphone.
Do I need to download an app?: No. The class runs in your browser. Chrome on Android and a laptop, or Safari on an iPhone or iPad, all work.
Can I join from a phone?: Yes, and most students do. Everything in this guide works the same on a phone.