A great guest should not have to become your IT department. Send a room link, a time and one sentence about the waiting room. There is no account or install requirement for the call: the browser is the path today.
Before you send the link
- Start from Start a Call, copy the room link and send it in your invitation. Do not send a screenshot of the link.
- Ask the guest to use their interview network and arrive ten minutes early, with headphones and a charger.
- Explain that the browser will ask for microphone and camera access. Camera can be optional for joining, but test it if the episode needs a face.
Guest: check the lobby, then join
The guest opens the link, selects the intended mic and camera in the lobby, and checks the preview. They can use Join if they are entering a room code. No account is needed. Their joining request goes to the host's waiting room; they should wait instead of repeatedly opening tabs.
Host: admit, then verify
The waiting room is on by default. Match the arrival with the scheduled guest, admit them, and say hello. Ask each side to confirm the other is audible and visible. If a co-host manages guests, decide in advance who watches the queue so a caller is not left waiting while you check levels.
Have a connection fallback
Free has no TURN relay. A hard-NAT office or hotel network may not connect peer-to-peer; a phone hotspot or home connection can help. Test that fallback before the interview, not while your guest is telling their story. For the full run of show, use the interview checklist or visit Support.