Why Can't a Voice Note Use My Microphone?
Voice note on the call screen records through your computer's microphone, so the browser, and the computer itself, have to let ABM Service use it. When they do not, selecting Voice note shows a card over the Details document that says who is blocking the microphone and what to do, step by step, with one button to try again.
What happens the first time I record a voice note?
The first time you select Voice note, before your browser has been asked about the microphone, a card titled Voice notes need your microphone explains that what you say is written into the Details as a note, and that your browser asks once whether this site may use the microphone.
- Select Allow microphone on the card.
- Choose Allow in the box your browser shows by the address bar.
While the browser's box is up, the card reads Choose Allow in your browser: nothing is recorded until you allow it. Recording starts as soon as you do, so start talking, then select Done, or Cancel. To leave it for now, close the card with its × (Not now).
In the ABM Service desktop app there is no browser question: the app allows the microphone itself, and Voice note starts recording straight away. If it cannot, the cause is Windows, not the app.
If you closed the browser's box without answering, the card reads The microphone was not allowed: select Allow microphone and choose Allow when the browser asks again.
What do I do when the microphone is blocked for this site?
The card The microphone is blocked for this site means your browser has been told not to let ABM Service use the microphone, for example because Block was chosen when it asked. Change it at the address bar:
- Select the padlock (or the microphone icon) at the left of the address bar.
- Set Microphone to Allow.
- Select Try again on the card.
When the browser's setting changes to Allow, ABM Service notices by itself and says "The microphone is allowed now. Press Voice note to record." Select Voice note to record.
What do I do when Windows is blocking the microphone?
The card Windows is blocking the microphone means the browser would let ABM Service use the microphone, but Windows has the microphone switched off for apps on this computer. The address bar's setting is already right, so change Windows' setting instead:
- Open Settings, then Privacy & security, then Microphone. In a browser, the step on the card is a link that opens that page; in the desktop app the link does not open, so open Settings from the Start menu.
- Turn on Microphone access, at the top of that page.
- Turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone, near the bottom.
- Select Try again on the card.
If both switches are already on, another program may have the microphone open: close it, then try again. In the ABM Service desktop app a refused microphone is always Windows' doing, so this is the card you see there.
On a Mac the card reads macOS is blocking the microphone: open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Microphone, switch your browser on in the list (quit the browser and open it again if it stays off), and select Try again.
What if no microphone is found?
The card No microphone found means the computer has no microphone ABM Service can see: "Voice notes need a microphone. Connect one, or a headset with one — this notices as soon as it is plugged in." Plug a microphone or headset in and ABM Service says "A microphone is connected now. Press Voice note to record."; or select Check again on the card.
If you work on a remote computer through Remote Desktop, the microphone on your own desk reaches that computer only if the connection records from it: in Remote Desktop Connection, open Local Resources, then Remote audio, then Settings, and choose Record from this computer.
If the card The microphone could not be started appears, the browser could not start the microphone for another reason; the card repeats what the browser said, after "The browser said:". Select Try again.
Why does it say voice notes cannot be recorded here?
The card Voice notes cannot be recorded here means this page can never have a microphone, whatever you allow, and has no button. There are two reasons:
- "Browsers only let a secure page use the microphone", followed by the address you are using: the browser does not treat that address as secure. Open ABM Service at its https address, or use the ABM Service desktop app.
- "This browser cannot record here. Open ABM in the desktop app, or in Chrome or Edge at its https address." — the browser has no way to record. Use the desktop app, Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
Fill in with AI does not need a microphone and works on these pages as usual.
What does "I can’t hear anything" mean while I record a voice note?
"I can’t hear anything: check the microphone" appears on the recording bar after five seconds without any sound. The recording carries on, so check the microphone is plugged in, switched on and not muted, and keep talking; the message goes as soon as there is sound again.
If the microphone is unplugged or switched off while you are recording, the recording stops by itself and what you had said is sent, with the message "The microphone stopped, so the note was sent as far as it went." Plug it back in, and record the rest as another voice note.