Troubleshooting Spruce Video Calls: Audio, Camera, and Connection Issues

Here are quick tips to help:

Check app settings: First we recommend going into your Spruce Settings under Video Calls to confirm the correct camera is selected. For your Microphone you should see the bar going to the right as it detects noise and you use the "Play Sound" to see if your Speaker is working properly. 

Update the Spruce App: Next check to make sure you and your patient have the most recent version of Spruce downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store. You can do this by going to your app store and searching for Spruce and seeing if there is an update.  

Check your connection: Video call quality will depends on a few factors such as internet speed and latency, device speed, and camera quality. We have found that often mobile phones have better cameras and internet speeds than computers so try on your mobile device if you see quality is not great on your or your patient's computer. If using Wifi, try and be close to your router or hard wired if possible. Check your Wifi speed at https://fast.com (after the initial test completes, click "Show more info" and you'll be shown your connection's latency times as well; latency is "the delay before a transfer of data begins following an instruction for its transfer," meaning the time between the command to send data and when it is sent). For an acceptable video calling experience, you'll need to have upload and download speeds of 8 Mbps or more, and a latency of 100 milliseconds or less. Close out all other application so your computer runs faster. Try using the opposite device than what you are on, for example move from computer to mobile and vice versa. If your computer has a wired connection be sure to test if that functions better, in which case your wifi might be the problem. If you have multiple wifi access points you may want to test the call quality in different areas of your workspace.

Check your browser: Google Chrome is our preferred browser. If you are still having issues, please see below for steps on how to update your browser's permissions. Finally, you can try switching to Safari if those don't help. 

Permission settings for Chrome (preferred)

If you are using Google Chrome, there are several ways to manage permissions relevant to video calling. Chrome's full support can be found here.

Allow access at time of use

If this is the first time the app is trying to make a video call, or you have instructed Chrome to ask your permission for each call, make sure that you allow camera and microphone access when you are asked.

Enable access when previously disabled

If you are experiencing video calling difficulties, please ensure that you have not disabled camera or microphone access in the past:

1. Open Chrome
2. At top of browser to the left of the website URL and to the right of the refresh button you should see a lock icon, click that.
3. This will open your permissions setting for the website you are on. Make sure you are on https://app.sprucehealth.com/
4. If you see sliders for Camera, Microphone, and Notifications, make sure they are all set to Allow. If you do not see such sliders, click into Site settings and enable them there.

Manage access at time of missed call

If you accidentally hit "block" and are trying to access a video call, click the video icon in the browser URL bar to open camera and microphone access settings.

Still not working or want to make additional changes (like notifications) follow these steps:

1. Open Chrome
2. At the top right of your browser, click the three vertical dots then select Settings
3. Go down to "Privacy and security" Section and click Site Settings.
4. Click Camera or Microphone.
5. You can set a default for all websites to Ask before accessing
6. Below that you will see a list of websites that need access to your camera or microphone
7. Click the "" next to https://app.sprucehealth.com/
8. Change Camera and Microphone to say Allow (recommended). If you select Ask, it will ask every time you do a call with Spruce instead of just automatically connecting.

Still have extra questions? Check out Google Chrome's support documentation here: User your camera and microphone

Permission Settings for Safari

Spruce video is supported on Safari version 12.1 or higher. You can check your version in Safari menu, about Safari and update from there if needed. 

To access Safari permissions for audio and video: 

1. Click on Safari menu at top left of your Screen
2. Click on Preferences (see image above) 
3. Then a box will pop-up

Now you are in your Safari Preferences menu: 

1. Go to Websites in top menu of box after Privacy
2. On left select Camera
3. To the right you should see a list of website or one website (app.sprucehealth.com) and to the right will be a drop down menu. 
   1. If already set to Allow, then select the row and click on "Remove" so that permissions are set
   2. If set to Deny, then switch to Allow. Without granting permissions to the Camera, you will not be able to video call on Spruce.
4. Repeat the same steps in 3 for the "Microphone" option under Camera.
5. Exit that box by clicking the red dot in the upper left corner of that box. Return to Safari and try your video call again. 

Firefox

1. When prompted to grant access to your camera and microphone, select "Allow" from the menu.
2. If you receive additional prompts, select "okay"

If you accidentally select "block", you can return to camera settings by selecting the camera icon in the browser bar.

Microsoft Edge

For access to your browser camera permissions: 

1. Select the lock icon from the browser bar
2. Select "allow" when prompted to grant microphone and camera access.

If you'd like to access all permissions, please follow Microsoft's documentation here: Windows 10 camera, microphone, and privacy

Internet Explorer

We do not recommend using Internet Explorer with Spruce. We recommend Google Chrome.

Permission Settings for Windows (Spruce Desktop App)

1. In Windows, open Settings > Privacy & security
2. Ensure "Let apps access your camera" is enabled

Permission Settings for macOS (Spruce Desktop App)

1. In macOS, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera
2. Ensure camera access is enabled for Spruce

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can’t my patient accept the Spruce video call and connect with me?

Confirm the patient browser or device has camera and microphone permissions enabled. A stable internet connection is required on both ends. 

What browser works best for Spruce video calls?

Chrome and Safari are recommended. Ensure the browser is up to date and that camera and microphone permissions are granted for the Spruce site. 

Who initiates video calls in Spruce - the provider or the patient?

Providers initiate all video calls from Spruce, patients cannot start a video call on their own.