Guide for Remote Guests

Switcher Studio's Remote Guest allows hosts to bring remote guests into their video production. This article walks through important information and tips for guests who plan to use Video Chat.

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Tips for Improving the Remote Guest Experience

Although the Remote Guest feature is already easy to use, there are a few things you can do to improve your audio/video feed.

  • Use headphones instead of your device's built-in speakers.

  • If possible, minimize the number of wireless devices on the network you're connected to.

  • Schedule a trial run with the host to make sure you can connect and that you're both happy with the setup.

Compatible Devices for Remote Guests

To join a Switcher Studio Video Chat call, you can use almost any mobile device, Mac, or PC that runs a modern browser and has a functional camera and microphone. We recommend the following:

  • Mac or iOS device: Safari or Chrome

  • PC or Android: Chrome

Unsupported Devices

  • Huawei mobile devices

Unsupported iOS (for iPad and iPhone)

  • iOS 15.1

  • iOS 15.1.1

If you want to use the screensharing function as a Remote Guest, there are separate requirements. You must be on a Mac or PC, running one of the following browsers:

  • MacOS: Chrome (72+), Firefox (66+), Safari (12.2+)

  • Windows: Chrome (72+), Firefox (66+)

Compatible Web Browsers

Video Chat is compatible with the web browsers and operating systems are shown below. If your guest is joining on an iOS device, they must use Safari to open the Video Chat link. We recommend all other guests use Chrome for the best experience.

How to Join as a Remote Guest

The host will need to send you a special link to join their Video Chat. When it's time to join:

  • Copy and paste the video chat link into a browser and hit Enter/Return.

Note: If you received the link via Facebook Messenger or Slack, you must copy and paste the link into a browser outside of the app.

  • You may be prompted to allow access to the device's camera and microphone. Click/tap "Allow" for both.

  • Use the drop down menus to choose your camera and audio sources.

  • Enter your name. This makes it easier for the host to know who has joined and to control audio if needed.

  • You can ignore the Remote Camera Mode unless the host asked you to enable this option.

  • Click/tap Join Room.

Remote Guest Tools

Once you have joined a Remote Guest session, your primary view will be the live program feed (the video feed that is being recorded/streamed by the host). Your own camera feed will be visible in the top right corner.

You can find the following tools in the lower-left corner of the Remote Guest screen:

  • Screensharing

  • Disable Camera

  • Mute

  • Camera Selector

Screensharing

If you are using Video Chat on a Mac or PC, you can share your screen with the host. The host can then display your screen as part of the video production. To use this tool:

  • Click the icon that looks like a computer monitor to start screensharing.

  • Select the screen or application you would like to share using the available options. Some browsers, such as Safari, will only share the entire screen.

  • Click Share.

  • To stop sharing your screen, simply click on the screen sharing icon again, or click "Stop Sharing" on browsers that present that option.

Disable Camera

If your camera feed is not necessary for the host's production, you may want to disable your camera.

  • To turn off your camera, click/tap the icon that looks like a camera with a line through it.

When the camera has been disabled, there will be a blue circle around it, like this:

Mute

The host has the ability to mute all guests' audio, but you can also control it on your end using the mute tool.

  • To mute your audio, tap the icon that looks like a microphone with a line across it.

When your audio is on mute, there will be a blue circle around it, like this:

Camera Selector

If you are using a device that has front and rear-facing cameras, you can use the Camera Selector tool to swap your camera.

  • Tap the icon that looks like a camera with two arrows on it.

Your camera view will change to the other camera.

Leaving a Remote Guest Session

Leaving a Remote Guest session is the same process whether you are on a computer or mobile device:

  1. Click the Leave Room button in the lower-right corner of the window.

  2. Close the browser tab.