Help & troubleshooting

A phone will not join

Nothing happens when I scan

Check the code on screen is a GroupVideo room QR — the app rejects any other code and says so. Make sure the host has actually created a room; the QR only appears once the room is live.

Android asks to connect to a network and I dismissed it

That prompt is Android's, not ours, and it is how your phone gets permission to join the host's hotspot. If you dismiss it the join stops and the app explains why. Scan again and tap Connect when it appears.

It says the host did not respond

The host's screen must still be showing the room. If the host closed the app or ended the session, members are dropped. Ask them to reopen it and scan again.

It says someone already uses my name

This no longer blocks the join — a second "Alex" simply appears as "Alex (2)". If you would rather change it, use Profile on the dashboard.

Playback problems

My screen is behind the others

Small differences are normal and the app corrects itself. It only jumps when a phone is roughly two seconds out, because constant tiny corrections look worse than a slight drift. Large gaps usually mean weak Wi-Fi — move closer to the host.

Video stutters or buffers

The host is streaming from its own storage over Wi-Fi, so bitrate matters. A 4K file to several phones at once will struggle on a crowded network. A smaller file, or fewer viewers, helps immediately.

Subtitles are missing

Only subtitle tracks embedded in the video file can be used. If the file has none, the app tells you rather than failing silently. The host chooses the track and everyone follows; you can still switch yours off locally.

Hosting

Everyone lost internet when I started the room

Expected when there is no Wi-Fi. The host's phone creates its own network, which carries no internet — that is what makes the app work with no signal. On a normal Wi-Fi network everyone keeps their connection.

The network name is not what I expected

Some manufacturers override the requested hotspot name with their own, such as AndroidShare_1234. The app reads back whatever the system actually created and puts that into the QR, so joining still works.

How do I end a room?

Use End Group on the Host Session screen, or the exit icon in the Live Room header. Both ask for confirmation, then disconnect everyone. Pressing back only returns you to the dashboard — the room keeps running, and the Live Running card takes you back into it.

Requirements

• Android 8.0 or newer. Joining is most reliable on Android 10 and above.
• Wi-Fi switched on — even with no network to connect to, the radio has to be enabled.
• A working camera on any phone that wants to join, since joining is by QR.
• Up to 24 people in a room, including the host, when everyone is on the same Wi-Fi. On the host's own hotspot, phones allow around 10 devices.