Once the session has started you should see this green “Connected” icon in the corner of the screen, or a “Connecting” icon while the page is loading.
If this is saying “Error” then the audio is not yet connected.
There are several reasons this can happen:
You are not using Google Chrome. Please check that you are on the correct Internet browser. The classroom only works on Google Chrome. You can also make sure that you are using the most up-to-date version of Google Chrome by clicking on the three vertical dots in the top right hand corner, clicking on ‘Help’ and then ‘About Google Chrome’.
The microphone has been blocked. Click on the camera icon in the web address bar and make sure that “Always allow” is selected. Refresh the page after making any changes.
The wrong microphone is selected. Click on the drop-down menu on the online classroom next to the ‘Connected’ button. Choose a different device (the correct one is usually called ‘USB PnP Sound Device’.)
Still not working? Check out our in-depth troubleshooting for Windows, Mac and Chromebooks below:
Windows
Windows
Ensure your USB headset is the ‘Default device’:
In the bottom right hand corner of your screen, there is a speaker icon (next to the time and date). Right click on the speaker icon and click on ‘Playback devices’, or if you don’t see this option click on ‘Sounds’ and then the ‘Playback’ tab.
Look for the ‘USB PnP Sound Device’ in the list - this is the name of our headsets. Right click on the ‘USB PnP Sound Device’ and click ‘Set as default device’. If any other devices are also selected as the default device, right click on them and click ‘Disable’.
Click on the ‘Recording’ tab and do the same thing, making sure the ‘USB PnP Sound Device’ is selected as the default device and disabling any other devices.
Check your microphone levels:
Right click on the speaker icon again and click ‘Recording devices’, or if you don’t see this option click on ‘Sounds’ and then the ‘Recording’ tab.
Select the ‘USB PnP Sound Device’ option from the list, click on ‘Properties’ and then select the ‘Levels’ tab from the new window.
Check that the microphone levels are set to the maximum. If there is a red cross over the speaker icon, this means your microphone is muted. Click on the cross to unmute it.
Mac
Mac
Ensure your USB headset is the ‘Default device’:
Open ‘System preferences’ and click on the sound icon. Click on the ‘input’ tab and look for the ‘USB PnP Sound Device’, click on this to select it as the default device.
Click on the ‘output’ tab and look for the ‘USB PnP Sound Device’, click on this to select it as the default device.
Check your microphone levels:
Open ‘System preferences’ and click on the sound icon. Click the input tab and click on your ‘USB PnP Sound Device’ headset.
Check that the input volume is turned all the way up and that the mute button is not ticked.
Chromebooks
Chromebooks
Ensure your USB headset is the ‘Default device’:
Click on the system tray in the bottom right hand corner of your screen (where the time is displayed).
There is a small headset icon next to the volume slider. Click on that icon and look for the ‘USB PnP Sound Device’ in the input and output sections.
You can click on the ‘USB PnP Sound Device’ to select it as the default device.
Need to contact the team?
💬 Live Chat us in the bottom right corner
📞 0203 771 0096