It's likely that you'll experience some technical issues when answering calls from blind and low-vision users. Some of the common issues that you can experience might actually have a very simple solution and can be solved while on the call. This is a guide to troubleshoot the most common technical issues.

Poor video quality

Poor video quality is most likely caused by a bad internet connection. You can start by making sure that your own internet connection is strong.

If you're confident that you have a strong internet connection, you can help the caller troubleshoot their connection. Start by asking if they're on a wi-fi or mobile internet connection.

• If on a mobile connection, ask them to switch to a wi-fi connection if possible
• If on wi-fi connection, ask them to check that their connection is working properly

If you're still experiencing poor video quality, try to ask the caller to move to a location where the internet connection might be stronger.

No video

If the camera feed from the caller is completely dark it can be because of an unsolvable technical issue. However, it might also have one of these very simple solutions:

• The caller is blocking their camera with their finger - ask them to adjust their grip of the device
• The caller has a cover on their device that is blocking the camera - ask them to remove their cover
• The caller has no light on - ask them to turn on their lights or turn on their torch by clicking the flashlight icon
• The caller is holding the camera too close to an object - ask them to move the camera further away or back away a bit

No audio

If the call is missing audio, it's most likely caused by a technical issue with the call provider that can't be solved while on the call. However, it is possible that the lack of audio is caused by the caller having an external headset connected.

If you have no audio connection, it can be impossible to guide the caller through such a situation, but if possible guide the caller to check if they have a headset connected and to disconnect it if so.

Can't enable microphone

If you are unable to allow access to your microphone, try these steps:

1. Ensure your computer has a microphone attached and that it is working in other applications.
2. Check that your computer settings allow your web browser to access your microphone. You can find instructions on doing this from these links:
   Windows
   Mac
3. Check that your web browser allows the Be My Eyes web app to access the microphone. You can find instructions on doing this from these links:
   Chrome
   Edge

Can't enable notifications

Notifications must be enabled in order to receive calls. If you are unable to enable notifications, try these steps:

1. On the Agent dashboard, you should see an alert prompting you to enable notifications in order to receive calls:
   
   When you click the "Enable notifications" button, your browser should prompt you to allow notifications. This prompt varies between browsers but should look something like this:
   
   Make sure you press "Allow" on this prompt.
2. If the prompt doesn't appear, you may need to go into your browser settings to allow the permission. Instructions to do this can be found at these links:
   Chrome
   Edge
3. Check that your computer settings allow your web browser to use notifications. You can find instructions on doing this from these links:
   Windows
   Mac
4. If you are still unable to receive notifications, or if you see an error message saying "Something went wrong when enabling notifications", your network may be blocking requests to Firebase Cloud Messaging, our notifications provider. Ensure your firewall allows access to Firebase Cloud messaging following the instructions here: https://firebase.google.com/docs/cloud-messaging/concept-options?sjid=1062094906428770886-EU#messaging-ports-and-your-firewall

Can't connect to calls

When you open the Agent dashboard, you will see a series of alerts requesting you to enable certain required permissions (eg. microphone, notifications). Make sure you have accepted these requests. If you have trouble accepting these requests, check the "Can't enable notifications" and "Can't enable microphone" sections above. When you are ready to accept calls, you should see this:

1. Ensure that your firewall allows access to the Be My Eyes domains on port 443:

   https://*.bemyeyes.com
   https://bemyeyes.com

2. We use Firebase Cloud Messaging for notification delivery that is required to receive calls. Ensure your firewall allows access to Firebase Cloud messaging following the instructions here: https://firebase.google.com/docs/cloud-messaging/concept-options?sjid=1062094906428770886-EU#messaging-ports-and-your-firewall
3. We use Twilio as our call provider. Make sure that your firewall allows access to Twilio's media servers listed here:
   https://www.twilio.com/docs/video/ip-addresses#media-servers
4. Test the connectivity to Twilio’s media servers using the network test here:
   

   https://networktest.twilio.com/

   This will flag any remaining issues connecting to Twilio's servers. If you need help interpreting the results of this test, please contact us.
5. We use Sentry to log errors. Make sure your firewall allows access to Sentry domains on port 443:

   https://*.sentry.io
   https://sentry.io

Did not hear / see call come in

If you missed an incoming call, there could be a number of issues. 

Firstly, the native notification functionality on desktop computers can be subtle and easy to miss. It's not possible to make these notifications more alerting, so we recommend keeping the Be My Eyes Agent app open while you are available to take calls, and enabling the ringtone from the profile menu.

However, in certain cases simply having the web app open in a tab in your browser is not sufficient for the ringtone to be able to play. This is because web browsers will, at times, suspend or "sleep" tabs that are not being actively used, in order to save resources.

To prevent this from happening, follow the instructions below for the browser you are using. If your device is centrally managed by your company's IT department, please contact them and ask them to do this on a group policy-level to prevent the app from sleeping for all your agents.

Microsoft Edge

1. In Microsoft Edge, select "Settings and more" > "Settings" > "System and performance" .

2. Next to "Never put these sites to sleep", select "Add", type in https://app.bemyeyes.com, and then press Add.

If your device is centrally managed by your company's IT department, please contact them and ask them to set this on a group policy-level to prevent the app from sleeping for all your agents.

Google Chrome

1. In Google Chrome, from the profile menu select "Settings" > "Performance".

2. Under "Memory" > "Always keep these sites active", select "Add" > "Add sites manually", type in bemyeyes.com, and then press Add.

Still not able to solve the issue?

If none of the above helped fix the technical issue, please reach out to support@bemyeyes.com. Let us know your Be My Eyes account email address, what operating system and web browser you are using, and we will do our best to help solve the issue.