Audio not working in a coaching call

Start here: the fastest fixes for audio problems in a coaching call

Audio cutting out — or never working at all — is one of the most disruptive things that can happen mid-session. Whether you're a coach running a 1:1 call or a client joining a group cohort, the fix is usually one of a handful of common culprits: a browser permission that got blocked, the wrong microphone selected, or a device setting toggled off. Work through the checklist below and you'll be back on air in under two minutes most of the time.

TL;DR

• Check that your browser has microphone permission for app.coachful.co.
• Make sure the correct input/output device is selected inside the call.
• Disable any system-level audio routing apps (e.g., virtual audio cables, meeting assistants).
• If you're on the Coachful mobile app, verify iOS/Android microphone access in system Settings.
• Still broken? Try an instant call from a different browser or device to isolate the problem.

How Coachful audio works

Coachful's video and audio calling is powered by Stream Video, the same infrastructure used by large-scale consumer apps. When you join a coaching call, your browser (or the mobile app) requests access to your microphone and camera via the WebRTC protocol. Stream then handles the peer-to-peer (or SFU-routed) media stream in real time.

Because the audio pipeline crosses several layers — your operating system, your browser, Stream's servers, and the recipient's device — a problem at any layer will silence you or the other participant. The good news is that each layer is easy to test independently.

Coachful supports 1:1 sessions, group calls, and intake calls, all booked and launched from the same Bookings dashboard. Audio troubleshooting steps are identical across all call types.

Step 1 — Check browser microphone permissions

This is the single most common cause of audio not working in a coaching call. Browsers block microphone access by default until you explicitly grant it, and a single misclick on "Block" creates a silent permission that's easy to miss.

1. Look for a camera/microphone icon in your browser's address bar (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari all show one). If it has a red slash through it, permission is blocked.
2. Click the icon and select Allow for the microphone.
3. Reload the call page — WebRTC permissions only take effect after a page refresh.

Chrome / Edge

Go to Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Microphone. Find app.coachful.co in the "Not allowed" list and move it to "Allowed".

Firefox

Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions → Microphone → Settings. Locate app.coachful.co and change the status to Allow.

Safari

Go to Safari → Settings for This Website (or Preferences → Websites → Microphone) and set Coachful to Allow. Safari is particularly strict — you may need to re-grant permission each session if you previously clicked "Deny".

Step 2 — Select the right audio device inside the call

Even with permission granted, your browser might be routing audio to the wrong device — especially if you plugged in headphones after the page loaded, or if you have a USB audio interface, a virtual audio driver, or AirPods that connected mid-session.

1. Once you're in the call, look for the Settings / Device Settings icon (gear or chevron next to the mic button).
2. Under Microphone, select the input you want to use (e.g., "AirPods Pro Microphone", "MacBook Pro Microphone", "Headset Mic").
3. Under Speaker / Output, select where you want to hear audio (e.g., "AirPods", "Built-in Speakers", your monitor's audio out).
4. Speak into your mic — the input level meter should move. If it does, the device is working.

If you don't see a level indicator when you speak, the selected microphone isn't picking up sound at all, which means the issue is at the OS level (see Step 3).

Pro tip: Always connect your headset or USB mic before opening the call page. Browsers often lock in the device list at page load time. Hot-plugging audio devices mid-call frequently requires a page reload to register the new hardware.

Step 3 — Check your operating system audio settings

Your browser can only use the microphone that the operating system exposes to it. If the OS has the wrong input selected or the input level is muted, no browser-level fix will help.

macOS

Open System Settings → Sound → Input. Select the correct microphone and confirm the input volume is above 50%. Watch the input level bars — they should move when you speak. If your Mac has a mute key on the Touch Bar or keyboard, verify it's not engaged.

Windows 11 / 10

Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar → Sound settings → Input. Set the correct device and check "Test your microphone" to see live levels. Also check Privacy → Microphone in Windows Settings and confirm "Allow apps to access your microphone" and "Allow desktop apps to access your microphone" are both toggled on.

Third-party audio apps

Apps like Krisp, NVIDIA RTX Voice, Loopback, or virtual cable drivers (VB-Audio, BlackHole) can intercept your microphone before it reaches the browser. Temporarily disable or quit these apps, then re-test the call. If audio returns, the third-party tool was the culprit — you'll need to adjust its routing settings or whitelist Coachful.

Coaches who run high-volume group cohort calls on Coachful often invest in a dedicated USB microphone and skip virtual audio routing entirely — it eliminates an entire category of troubleshooting calls with clients.

Step 4 — Mobile app audio (iOS and Android)

If you're using the Coachful mobile app (available at app.coachful.co/mobile or as a native shell via the App Store / Google Play), microphone access must be granted at the OS level — not just in the app itself.

iOS (iPhone / iPad)

1. Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.
2. Find Coachful in the list and toggle it on.
3. If Coachful doesn't appear, the app has never requested mic access. Force-quit the app, re-open it, and join a call — iOS will prompt you.

Android

1. Go to Settings → Apps → Coachful → Permissions → Microphone.
2. Set it to Allow only while using the app (or Always).
3. On Samsung devices, also check Settings → Privacy → Permission manager → Microphone.

On mobile, also check that your physical mute switch (on iPhones: the side toggle) isn't engaged, and that your Bluetooth headset is connected and set as the active audio output in your phone's Bluetooth settings.

Step 5 — Network and firewall issues

Stream Video uses WebRTC, which requires certain UDP ports to be open. In restrictive corporate or school networks, WebRTC traffic may be blocked entirely, causing audio to fail even though your camera appears to work.

• Use a personal hotspot as a quick test. If audio works over cellular, your Wi-Fi network or VPN is blocking the media stream.
• If you're on a corporate network, ask your IT team to whitelist Stream's TURN server ranges. See Stream's network requirements documentation for the relevant IP ranges and ports.
• Disconnect your VPN. Many VPNs intercept UDP traffic and degrade or silence WebRTC audio.

Step 6 — Browser and system restarts

If none of the above resolves audio not working in your coaching call, a hard reset often clears transient OS audio stack errors:

1. Close every browser tab and quit the browser completely.
2. Unplug and replug any external audio hardware.
3. Relaunch the browser and go directly to your call link.
4. If the issue persists, restart your computer. macOS and Windows occasionally get the audio daemon into a bad state that only a reboot fixes.

Troubleshooting: common mistakes and edge cases

Mistake 1 — Joining via a shared or embedded link without permissions

If a client clicks a call link embedded in an email or inside an iframe, some browsers strip microphone permissions from embedded contexts. Always open the call link in a full browser tab, not inside a preview pane or an in-app browser (e.g., Gmail's preview, Instagram's in-app browser).

Mistake 2 — Echo or feedback instead of silence

If other participants hear themselves echoed back, your speakers are feeding into your microphone. Switch to headphones, enable echo cancellation in the call's device settings, or lower your speaker volume. This is especially common on laptops without a headset.

Mistake 3 — One-sided audio (you can hear them, they can't hear you)

This almost always means your browser's microphone permission is blocked, or you're muted at the hardware level. Recheck Step 1 and confirm the mute button inside the Coachful call UI is not activated (it turns red when muted).

Mistake 4 — Audio drops every 30–60 seconds

Intermittent drops usually point to Wi-Fi instability, a power-saving setting turning off your USB audio device, or a laptop in low-power mode throttling the CPU. Connect via Ethernet if possible, disable USB selective suspend (Windows), or disable App Nap (macOS) for your browser.

Mistake 5 — Audio works in a test but not in the real call

Some browsers re-request microphone permission separately for sub-domains or new call sessions. If your browser shows a permission prompt the moment you join the live call, click Allow immediately — waiting more than a few seconds can cause the prompt to auto-deny and require a page reload.

Mistake 6 — Virtual background or beauty filter silencing audio

Certain browser extensions that apply virtual backgrounds or filters (not part of Coachful itself) can inadvertently block the media pipeline. Disable browser extensions one at a time, especially any video-manipulation extensions, then rejoin the call.

When to contact Coachful support

If you've completed all six steps above and audio is still not working in your coaching call, the issue may be on the infrastructure side or tied to a specific account configuration. Gather the following before reaching out so support can help you faster:

• Your browser name and version (e.g., Chrome 124.0)
• Your operating system (e.g., macOS 14.4, Windows 11 23H2)
• Whether the issue affects all call types (1:1, group, intake) or just one
• The approximate time and date of the failed call (for log correlation)
• A screenshot of your browser's microphone permission state for app.coachful.co

You can reach support directly from the ? icon in your Coachful dashboard, or use the support contact form. Coaches on the Scale plan receive priority response times.

Pro tips for coaches: prevent audio issues before every session

Best practice: Build a 5-minute buffer before every coaching call. Use Coachful's built-in device check (accessible from the call lobby screen) to confirm your mic, camera, and speakers are live before your client joins. It takes 20 seconds and eliminates 90% of mid-call scrambles.

Consider standardizing your setup: one dedicated USB microphone, one pair of wired headphones, one browser (Chrome tends to have the most reliable WebRTC implementation). The fewer variables in your audio chain, the fewer calls you'll spend troubleshooting instead of coaching.

If you run group cohort calls through a Coachful Squad, remind clients in your onboarding program materials to test their audio before the first live session. A short "tech check" task inside your coaching program — added as a Day 1 to-do — saves enormous time when you have 10+ clients joining a cohort call simultaneously.

Ready to run seamless coaching calls?

Audio issues are almost always solvable in under five minutes once you know where to look. With the steps above, you can diagnose and fix the most common causes — browser permissions, device selection, OS settings, and network interference — without waiting for support.

If you're not yet using Coachful for your sessions, its built-in scheduling, HD video, and Stream-powered audio are designed to work out of the box for coaches and clients on any device. Start your free trial and run your first call today — or sign in to your workspace and launch an instant call right now.