Your video and audio are an important part of your experience in the World. Unfortunately, every now and then, problems arise. That’s why we’ve compiled the most common issues and how to fix them.
Audio
No Device Access with an !
The red exclamation point indicates that the browser was NOT given access to the microphone. Use the following steps to give access:
Chrome Troubleshooting
1.Lock Icon - To the left of the URL, click the lock icon to check that your microphone is toggled on. Once in the on position, the microphone should be usable.
2. Camera Icon - If the above did not work, click on the camera icon at the end of the URL and make sure the first circle is selected to “Continue allowing the URL access. While on this screen, double check the correct microphone and camera are selected if you have multiple options.
Note: You may need to refresh.
3. Manage Settings - If the above have been tried with no luck, follow the steps for #2 above and click on Manage on the bottom left of the dialogue box.
This will open Chrome Settings/ Privacy and Security in a new tab: chrome://settings/content#media-stream-mic
Try 1st: Under Recent Activity, click on the Double A World to open up the site permissions and ensure the Camera and Microphone are set to Allow.
You can also click Reset Permissions to refresh the world settings.
Try 2nd: Under Permissions, open up the Camera and Microphone setting to set the Default Behavior
Click on the -> to the right of the setting.
If none of the above work, restart your browser and/or computer to reset the settings.
Safari Troubleshooting
Lock Icon - chrome only feature. In Safari it just verifies the site certification.
Camera Icon (usually red) - Click on the camera icon at the end of the URL and select “Always Allow on “[name of site]”
Note: You may need to refresh.
Safari Preferences - in the browser, click on Safari / Preferences to open up the dialogue box. Choose Microphone on the left and ensure the website is set to “Allow.”
Grayed out Microphone with NO !
A grayed out microphone icon typically means your browser or OS is outdated and needs to be updated.
If an admin, view their users stats to check which browser/OS a user is on by clicking on their avatar and hovering over their name. It will pull up a brief diagnostics of their system.
Look under User Device stats to see what OS and browser version they are using:
| Recommended Versions |
Chrome | 117 |
Safari | 16.6 |
MacOS | Ventura 13.5.2 |
Windows | 10 |
Note: Safari 16.0 and 16.0-16.3 usually means no mic/cam access
Browser Updates:
Chrome:
Click the 3 dot on the top right corner of the browser then go to Help / About Chrome or type chrome://settings/help into the search bar to bring up the About Chrome Page
This will tell you what version you are currently on and if you need an update. Click Update or Relaunch to initiate.
Note: This will require you to restart your browser.
Safari:
Go to the Apple menu > System Settings.
Click on Software Update.
If there are any updates, click Restart Now to install them. You can also click More info to read about the update.
Once your macOS has updated, Safari will be up to date too.
OS Update (Mac only):
Open Software Update by opening your Apple menu / System Preferences, then click Software Update.
If Software Update finds new software, click the button to install it.
I can’t hear anyone talking
Make sure your Sound volume is turned up and not on mute
Does the speaker have a green ring around their avatar when they are speaking?
If yes, then double check your audio output via the settings Icon in the top right corner
Setting / Audio/Video / Audio Output
If not, then there is an audio malfunction on the speaker’s side that will need to be troubleshot.
Double check the room is not on spatial audio as this will only allow you to hear those speaking around you.
How do I know?
Ear on the bottom action bar will be green
Click on your avatar and if a blue circle appears, that indicates the distance your voice will be heard or you will be able to hear others
Is the room in spectator mode and you’re in chat only? If so, to hear avatars speak, the avatar needs to be in Speaker Mode for everyone in the space to hear them talk. If not, only those present in the space with avatars will be able to hear each other. Ask the moderator, through the chat, to put themselves in the correct mode.
Speaker Audio is quiet or their voice seems distant
Check that the correct microphone is selected via Settings / Audio/Visual / Microphone
If on mobile device, use headphones - Wired recommended
Note: Some wireless headphones make users sound like a chipmunk (this mostly occurs on Android).
When a user talks, they sound like a chipmunk
Check that the correct microphone is selected via Settings / Audio/Visual / Microphone
Are they wearing headphones?
If yes, Some wireless headphones make users sound like a chipmunk (this mostly occurs on mobile/Android). If this occurs try the following:
Refresh the browser page
Use device audio instead of headphones
If no, try using wired headphones or refreshing the browser.
Audio quality is choppy:
Check that the correct microphone is selected via Settings / Audio/Visual / Microphone
Choose an option that DOES NOT say Default next to it.
Try other microphone options to test which one sounds best to other users
Bandwidth - check your wireless connection. If cutting in and out, it could be an indication of low bandwidth
On mobile - try going off of wifi and using cellular
If an admin, view their users stats to check which browser/OS a user is on by clicking on their avatar and hovering over their name. It will pull up a brief diagnostics of their system.
Look under User Device stats
Background Interference
Try turning off a fan or reducing background noise that is conflicting with your microphone and noise suppression
Project your voice a bit louder and reduce pauses to keep a steady audio flow
Refresh your browser or Restart your computer
Adjust Performance Level to reduce the overall processing power required of your device.
If an admin, click on the avatar that is having the issues to pull up the menu and go to Advanced.
This will pull up the following dialogue box that enables you to adjust their performance level to support low bandwidth or other issues occurring:
Standard - current level, no adjustment
Reduce Render Rate
Visual effects will appear less smooth
Prioritize Speakers
Reduced Render Rate - Visual effects will appear less smooth
Will only show your video feed if in speaker mode or while screen sharing
Can only receive video from users in speaker mode or screen sharing
No Video
Reduced Render Rate - Visual effects will appear less smooth
Will not send video feed to others
Will not receive feed from others
Will not be able to screen share
If a guest user, go to Settings / Advanced to open the same dialogue box to adjust based on the above definitions.
Video
No Device Access with an !
Follow the same steps for Audio as noted above but look at the video settings
Grayed out Video with NO !
Follow the same steps for Audio as noted above but look at the video settings
Everyone’s Avatars are Flickering (Chrome / Mac)
This is a known issue and is related to the latest browser updates by Chrome. If able and won’t be screensharing, switch to Safari browser.
My avatar is a white circle when my camera is on (Mac)
This typically happens when no device is detected or your device was in use from another platform before joining.
Double check your devices to ensure they’re plugged in correctly and re-confirm your settings in the Audio/Video panel.
My avatar is a black circle when my camera is off (Mac)
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