Use audio/video calls

Audio/video calls are for live decisions around shared work

Use a canvas audio/video call when the group needs to talk through visual work while staying in ALLO. Calls are useful for design reviews, client walkthroughs, workshops, handoffs, support sessions, and any discussion where tone or speed matters more than a long comment thread.

A call is not a decision log. Use the call to reach the decision, then put the result in a comment, task, note, or visible canvas update. People who missed the call should be able to understand what changed without asking everyone to remember the meeting.

For the canvas-specific control layout, see Use audio/video calls in a canvas.

A call also does not grant access. Everyone still needs the right permission to open the canvas. If a guest or external collaborator cannot enter the canvas, fix sharing permissions before checking microphone, camera, or room state.

Availability and permissions

Guests can be allowed to join a call when the shared canvas and workspace gates allow it. Do not assume "guest" means "no call." Check the actual shared-canvas access state.

Start or join a call

Open the canvas and use the call control in the header. When no room is active, the action appears as a call-start action. When a room is already active, the header can show a join state with participant indicators so you know people are already in the room.

After you join, the call controls shift from "start or join" into live controls: microphone, camera, and leave. Device settings live with the local participant controls where supported, so you can choose the microphone or camera without leaving the canvas.

Plan for room size

A canvas call is a working room, not a webinar. ALLO uses Agora for live media, and the practical call shape is up to 32 people sending audio with up to 17 camera-on participants at the same time.

For a larger review, keep cameras off for listeners and use the canvas itself as the shared visual. Use comments for questions that need a record, Team chat for side notes, and a second call when a subgroup needs to talk through details.

When a crowded call starts dropping video tiles or speech indicators, reduce active media first. The likely problem is call size or device/network pressure, not that the person lost canvas access.

Use audio, camera, and device settings

Calls can start audio-first. Microphone access is the core requirement; camera access is optional. This matters because the canvas is often the shared visual surface. You can keep video off and still have a useful call.

Use microphone mute when you are not speaking. Use camera off when video distracts from the canvas, slows the session, or is not needed. If the wrong device is selected, open device settings and choose the correct microphone or camera.

If the browser asks for permission, allow microphone and camera access for ALLO. If you deny it, the browser or operating system will block media even when the ALLO permission is correct.

If a computer has no camera, or the camera cannot be opened, the person can still join audio-only when microphone access works. If microphone access fails too, they can watch the canvas and use comments or chat until device permissions are fixed.

Use the live call dock

Participant tiles appear in a dock over the canvas. Drag the dock wherever it makes the review easiest to follow. Keep it near the work when faces or reactions help, or move it to a corner when the canvas content needs space.

The dock should support the meeting, not occupy the most important part of the canvas. Move it when it covers the object, page controls, comment thread, slide area, or file preview under discussion.

Active speaker feedback helps you see who is talking. When a participant speaks, their tile shows a speaking effect so the group can follow the conversation without guessing. If someone says they are speaking and no active speaker state appears, check mute, selected microphone, and browser permission before assuming the call room is broken.

Use calls with comments and chat

Use the call for conversation. Use canvas chat for side notes, links, page directions, and quiet questions during the call. Use comments for the durable record.

During a review, a strong pattern is:

1. Start the call.
2. Use presence or follow behavior to keep people oriented.
3. Talk through the work.
4. Add comments where changes are needed.
5. Mention owners on follow-up items.
6. Resolve comments only after the work is handled.

This keeps the meeting human while keeping the outcome findable.

Calls with guests and external collaborators

Before a call with someone outside the workspace, share the canvas and confirm they can enter. A guest who is stuck on the entry screen cannot meaningfully participate in a canvas-based call.

External reviewers may have call access without broad workspace access. That is useful for client reviews and workshops, but it also means they may not see People, project settings, or internal workspace areas. Keep sensitive internal discussion out of shared canvas calls unless the guest should hear it.

For planned external sessions, send the share link early and ask the guest to complete the entry flow before the meeting. See Invite guests and external collaborators when the session includes people outside the workspace.

When a call is the wrong tool

Do not use a call when the work needs careful written review, async approval, or an exact record. Use comments for that. Do not use a call to bypass missing access; fix sharing first. Do not use a call as the only project status update; update the project or task after the call.

If the topic is "who owns this?" or "when is this due?", the answer belongs in the project, task, or canvas info, not only in a spoken answer.

Troubleshoot call controls

If the call button is missing, check workspace eligibility, plan settings, canvas access, guest state, mobile or restricted contexts, and whether the canvas header has enough room to show the control. On the native mobile app, canvas audio/video calls are not currently supported; use web or desktop.

If Join is missing while other people are in a call, refresh the canvas and confirm you are in the same workspace and same canvas. Room status depends on the active canvas, not just the title someone mentioned.

If microphone or camera fails, check browser permission, operating system privacy settings, selected device, and whether another app is already using the device. Try audio-only if camera is the problem.

If video becomes unstable in a large room, keep the discussion alive by turning off cameras. If audio becomes unstable near the 32-speaker limit, move some participants to comments, chat, or a smaller follow-up call.

If the call works but people are lost in the canvas, use online presence, follow behavior, page names, comment links, or presentation mode. Calls solve audio; they do not solve orientation on a crowded canvas by themselves.