Calls on a weak connectionNew

Calls are built to keep going when the network doesn't.

• Switching networks. Walk out of Wi-Fi range onto mobile data, or plug in a cable, and the call finds a new route by itself. You may hear a short gap.
• Reconnecting. When the connection to someone drops, their tile says Reconnecting… and keeps their last picture while we try again. The top of the call window says so too when it looks like your side: your device lost its connection, or the connections to everyone dropped at once.
• Reloading the page. Reload during a call and you go straight back into the same call, with your camera and microphone as they were. If you close the tab by mistake, open Viremail again within a minute: it says You're still in the call and Rejoin takes you back in. Leave lets the others know you've gone. While your page is closed, the others see that your page closed rather than a connection problem, and if you don't come back within the minute, you've left the call.
• When we update Viremail. Our server restarts for a moment when we release something new. Your call keeps going through it, because the sound and video go straight between the devices, and the app takes its place in the call again as soon as the server is back.
• Voice comes first. Sound is tuned for voices and holds up when packets go missing. When the connection to someone gets too weak for video, we pause your video to that person so they still hear you clearly. You'll see We paused your video to keep the sound clear (in a group, it names who). Once the connection has room again we try your video small first, and bring it back fully only when the connection really carries it, so it doesn't flicker on and off. We tell you Your video is back on once it has stayed back for a little while.
• Connection bars. Each person's name has small bars: three for good, two for fair, one for weak. They describe the connection between you and that person. If it stays weak for about 10 seconds, their tile says so (for example Asha's connection is unstable), and it clears once things settle. When the connections to everyone are unstable at once, the top of the window says Your connection is unstable instead, as it's most likely your own network.

If a connection can't be brought back within a minute:

• in a call with one person, the call ends with Call dropped for both of you, and Call again rings the other person straight back with the same kind of call,
• in a group call, only that person's tile says Connection lost. The call carries on for everyone else. We keep trying that person quietly in the background, and Retry tries them again straight away. If every tile says it, the top of the window says Connection lost with one Retry for everyone.

If your own connection was gone for more than a minute during a group call, the call carries on without you and you'll see Rejoin, which takes you back in.

Hide my IP address. Calls normally go directly between devices, so the people you call can see your IP address. In a call, open Audio and video settings and turn on Hide my IP address to send this device's side of every call through our relay server instead. It can add a little delay. The switch only shows when the service has a relay server. While it's on, a call never falls back to a direct connection: if the relay can't be reached, the call waits for it instead of showing your address.