Sound and camera

Everyone joins muted

You arrive in a circle with your microphone off, and it stays off until you have something to say in one of two ways.

Taking the centre unmutes you. Losing the centre mutes you again. You never have to find a mute button to speak in turn — see Speaking and the centre.

Saying something without taking the centre

There is a microphone icon at the bottom right, and it only appears when you are not the current speaker — the speaker never needs it, so it is never shown to them.

Clicking it, or pressing i, opens a short speaking window:

• Your microphone turns on immediately.
• A progress ring appears around your circle so everyone can see you have the floor for a moment.
• After about five seconds you are muted again automatically.

It is a moment to interject, not a toggle. Clicking again while the window is already open does not extend it. If you take the centre during the window, you simply stay unmuted.

Being muted by the host

A host can mute everyone except the current speaker. If that happens to you, your microphone turns off; if you were already muted, nothing changes.

Your camera

There is no camera-off button. Circles is a cameras-on space — see Joining a circle.

If your camera is taken away while you are in a circle — you revoke permission in the browser, unplug it, or another app claims it — you are disconnected and returned to the entry screen, which explains what happened. You can rejoin as soon as the camera is available again.

This is deliberate. The alternative would be leaving you in the circle as a person nobody can see.