Frequently Asked Questions

OpenedMic is a browser-based live audio and video broadcasting service. A broadcaster opens a room from any browser and presses MIC ON. Listeners join by scanning a QR code or opening a link — also in any browser. No app, no account required on either side. See How It Works for a full walkthrough.

Listeners can still join. If a room's QR image does not appear, use the join link or enter the 6-character room code at openedmic.com/app in any browser — the room link always works.

Yes. No registration is required and no payment is needed to open a room or join as a listener.

No. Neither the broadcaster nor listeners create an account. You enter a name when opening or joining a room — that name is used only within the session and is not stored after the session ends.

Open openedmic.com/app in any browser. Enter your name, choose a broadcast mode, and press MIC ON. A QR code and join link are generated automatically. Share or display the code, and listeners join by scanning or tapping it.

No. Listeners scan a QR code or open the join link in any browser. No app download, no account, and no sign-up are required at any step. See how QR joining works.

Three ways: scan the broadcaster's QR code, tap the join link if it was shared by message, or enter the 6-character room code manually at openedmic.com/app.

Up to 200 listeners can join a single room simultaneously.

Yes, if the broadcaster enables it. Group chat is off by default. Listeners can also send emoji reactions at any time. The broadcaster sees reactions and can toggle chat on or off during the session.

Yes. Each listener controls the volume independently on their own device, using their phone or earphone volume controls.

Yes — one listener at a time can request the Approved Guest Mic, and the broadcaster decides whether to approve. Once approved, the guest's microphone is mixed into the live broadcast. Both the broadcaster and the other listeners can hear the approved guest. This is controlled live participation, not an open conference call.

Only the broadcaster can approve, deny, or end an Approved Guest Mic. Listener requests appear as a prompt on the broadcaster's screen with the listener's display name and avatar. The broadcaster taps Approve or Deny.

Yes. While a guest is live, the broadcaster has a guest volume slider, a mute/unmute toggle, and an End Guest button. The broadcaster's own voice always takes priority — a built-in ducker lowers the guest's level while the broadcaster speaks, then restores it.

No. The guest is just a listener who tapped Ask to speak. No account, no install, no registration. The microphone is captured in the listener's browser using WebRTC after the listener grants browser permission.

Yes. After the broadcaster approves, the listener's browser will request microphone permission. If the listener denies the prompt, the guest mic ends cleanly and the room continues normally. On mobile devices the page must be served over HTTPS for the browser to allow microphone access — when joining via the QR code or link from a real device, this is already the case.

No. OpenedMic does not store guest audio on its servers. The server handles signaling and room state only — it does not record, transcribe, or store any audio from the broadcaster, listener, or approved guest. Operational analytics use enum-only fields (mode, status); they do not contain names, room IDs, audio data, or device identifiers.

The Approved Guest Mic is a controlled way for one listener to speak in an otherwise broadcast-first room. Listeners are muted by default. A listener can request to speak; the broadcaster approves a single guest at a time; the guest's microphone audio is mixed into the live broadcast; and the broadcaster can revoke or end the guest mic at any moment. It is audio-only.

No. Only one approved guest can speak at a time. OpenedMic is broadcast-first: the broadcaster leads, and at most one listener is granted the Approved Guest Mic at any moment. It is not a multi-speaker meeting or conference call.

No. The Approved Guest Mic is audio-only. An approved guest speaks through their microphone; there is no guest camera, no guest video, and no guest screen sharing. (Broadcaster-side screen share and presenter camera, where the broadcaster's device and browser support them, are separate broadcaster tools and are not part of the guest path.)

No. OpenedMic is a browser-based live audio room platform — broadcast-first, with one host and many listeners. Listeners stay muted by default; participation happens only through the host-approved, one-at-a-time, audio-only Approved Guest Mic. It is not an everyone-talks meeting room or a video-conferencing tool.

Yes. OpenedMic works in Safari on iOS for both broadcasters and listeners. No installation is required. Screen sharing is not available on iOS Safari due to platform restrictions, but microphone broadcasting and audio listening work fully.

Yes. Chrome on Android supports both broadcasting and listening, including screen sharing. Other Chromium-based browsers on Android also work.

Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari on macOS. Current versions are required. The application runs entirely in the browser — no extension, plugin, or driver needed.

No. OpenedMic works with the built-in microphone on any device, as well as wired headsets and Bluetooth earbuds such as AirPods. Each broadcast mode applies an audio processing chain tuned to the selected scenario — noise gate, EQ, and compression — to improve audio quality regardless of the microphone used.

Yes. When creating a room, the broadcaster can set it to private and optionally add a password. Listeners who have the code or link are prompted to enter the password before joining. The password is held in server memory only for the session duration and is not stored.

No. Audio and video are transmitted peer-to-peer using WebRTC and are not stored on any server. If you use the local recording feature, the recording is saved only to your device as a WebM file — nothing is uploaded. See the Privacy Policy for full details.

A room exists only while an active broadcast session is running. When the broadcaster ends the session or disconnects without reconnecting within 15 seconds, the room is destroyed and all listeners are disconnected. Rooms do not persist across sessions.

Yes. OpenedMic supports installation as a home-screen web application on supported browsers. On Android with Chrome, an install prompt appears automatically. On iOS Safari, use Share → Add to Home Screen. The application is a web app — no app store is involved.

Yes. Broadcasters have a local recording control in the broadcast panel. The recording is saved directly to your device as a WebM file when you stop the recording. Nothing is uploaded to any server.