Devices, browsers and microphones

What they need

• An up-to-date browser on a computer, tablet or phone. Nothing to install.
• For voice interviews: a microphone and permission for the browser to use it. Headphones help in noisy places.
• A steady internet connection. If it drops briefly, they have about 30 seconds to reconnect.

On phones

• Voice and chat interviews both work.
• Screen sharing is only available on computers.
• Websites you keep open appear as an Open website link rather than beside the conversation.

If the microphone doesn’t work

They’ll see “Could not access your microphone. Please check your browser permissions.” They can still join and type their answers. To fix it:

• Click the lock or settings icon next to the address bar and allow the microphone for this site, then reload.
• Check no other app (a video call, for example) is using the microphone.
• On a phone, allow the browser to use the microphone in the phone’s settings.

Quiet participants

If nobody says anything for a while, the interviewer checks in, then ends the session: after about a minute of silence at the start of a voice interview, or a minute and a half later on. Chat interviews wait longer. Sessions where the participant never spoke don’t use minutes.