Gmail Voice and Video Chat  FAQ

==================GENERIC QUESTIONS====================

1. How can I change the settings for the camera and microphone?

In Gmail, go to the Settings page and select the "Chat" tab. From
there, you can select your camera, microphone and speakers.

2. In a video call, I can see the other person, but I can't see
myself, and they can't see me. I also don't see myself on the "Verify
your settings" page.

First, check that your camera is not in use by another application. If
this is not the case, there may be a driver issue. If your camera name
(in Gmail settings) comes up as "USB Video Device", this means that
you are using the generic Windows camera drivers.  Installing the
correct drivers for your model of camera will likely fix the problem.
Also, most camcorders are currently not supported.

3. In a video call, I can see myself, but I can't see the other
person.

Gmail voice and video chat tries to establish a direct connection
between the two computers calling each other. If this fails, it will
fall back on using a proxy server hosted at Google. It is possible
that both methods fail, especially if one person has a strict network
firewall that blocks all attempts at sending or / receiving data, thus
causing a one way call. We are working to improve the performance of
the Gmail voice and video chat software with firewalls.  

4. Sometimes there is a lot of lag (latency) on my calls.

Gmail voice and video chat requires a fair amount of processing power
and network bandwidth. If you or your friend are watching video clips,
downloading a large file, or doing other CPU- or network-intensive
activities, the performance of the video chat may be affected. Closing
other programs or web pages may improve the  quality.

5. I can hear myself talking during a call (echo).

Try different mic/speaker settings. Reduce the volume, or change the
speaker orientation on other side. Remember that echo is caused by the
other party.

6. I can not see any video capabilities.

Be sure you are using the fully featured version of Gmail. In other
words, if you see "older version" in the top right corner of Gmail...
then you should be all right and not have to do anything! If, instead,
you see "Newer version", click that link to go to the latest version
of Gmail.

7. Video does not work in my browser.

We have tested Gmail voice and video chat on Chrome, Firefox, Internet
Explorer, Safari, and several other browsers. At this time, the only
known incompatibility is with the Opera browser. If you find a browser
we do not properly support on the Mac, please let us know.

==================WINDOWS SECTION====================

1. I only see a black box instead of video. The other party hears and
sees me well.

If you see this on Vista, please install Service Pack 1. The issue is
caused by a bug in Windows Vista that Microsoft fixed when they
released Service Pack 1.

2. I can't get video to work at all on Vista.

Be sure to install the Gmail voice and video chat plugin as your own
user. Installing it as another user (i.e. Administrator) will not
work.

Last Updated (Friday, 16 October 2009 22:57)