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Voice messages and calls

Visitors and your team can talk inside the same conversation: voice messages that play in the thread, and audio calls from browser to browser. No phone number, no extra app.

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Voice messages#

Voice messages come with Growth and Business, in both directions. In the widget a visitor taps the microphone in the composer; in the dashboard a teammate uses the microphone in the message box.

  1. Record.

    The composer turns into a recording bar with a live waveform and the time. Cancel throws it away.

  2. Stop.

    The clip waits in the composer with its waveform and length, so it can be played back first.

  3. Send.

    It lands in the thread as its own bubble. Anyone in the conversation plays it inline and can seek on the waveform.

How a visitor calls#

  1. A teammate joins the conversation.

    The call button appears in the chat header once a teammate is assigned. While only Aura is answering there is nobody to ring, so the button stays hidden.

  2. The visitor taps it.

    The browser asks for the microphone, then the chat shows Calling… with the teammate's name. It rings the teammate assigned to the conversation.

  3. The teammate answers.

    Both sides see the call's running time, a mute button and a hang up button.

  4. Either side hangs up.

    The call is added to the conversation with its length, for example Voice call · 1:42. A call nobody answers shows as Missed voice call.

Calling a visitor#

On a visitor's conversation in the dashboard, the call button in the title row calls them. It works while the visitor is online and once the conversation has a message. The visitor sees Incoming voice call in the chat, with Accept and Decline.

What your team sees#

  • Anywhere in the dashboard. A call card in the corner shows the caller's name, the call's state and buttons that follow it: Decline and Answer while it rings, then mute, Open and Hang up during the call.
  • On that visitor's conversation. The call fills the conversation: the caller, the running time, mute and hang up.
  • Afterwards. The call stays in the thread with its length, between the messages before and after it.

Browsers and the microphone#

  • Microphone permission. The browser asks the first time someone records or calls. If it is refused, the call does not start and the chat says Microphone access is blocked. Allow it in your browser settings, then try again.
  • HTTPS. Browsers give the microphone only to pages served over HTTPS, so voice needs your site on HTTPS.
  • Supported browsers. Calls use WebRTC and voice messages use the MediaRecorder API, both built into current Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on desktop and phone (the widget itself needs Chrome 87, Edge 88, Firefox 78 or Safari 14 or later). Where recording is missing, the chat says Recording is not supported in this browser.
  • Content Security Policy. Voice messages need media-src with the widget's host and blob:. A call is set up over the chat connection, which connect-src already allows; its audio then travels over WebRTC, which we have not yet tested under a strict policy. See Performance and CSP.

Call minutes#

Business includes 1,000 call minutes a month. Calls are not included on Free and Growth. Voice messages do not use minutes. See Pricing for every plan.