Joining a video call as a Client

NearbySpy video calls let you meet face-to-face with your Investigator without installing software, downloading an app, or sharing a personal phone number. This article walks through what to expect from the moment you receive a meeting link to the moment the call ends.

Where the meeting link comes from

Your Investigator schedules the call inside your Case and shares the link with you. You will receive it through the Case messaging thread, on the Documents area of your dashboard, or as an email notification, depending on how the Investigator chose to send it. Each link is bound to your Case and to your Client account, so it cannot be forwarded to a friend or used by someone who is not on the Case.

Before you click the link

• Use a recent version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari on a device with a working camera and microphone.
• Sign in to NearbySpy in the same browser first. If you are not signed in, you will be asked to sign in before the room loads. See How to sign up and sign in if you need help.
• Allow the browser to use your camera and microphone when it prompts you. The platform will not record you silently — any recording requires an explicit prompt.
• Check your Wi-Fi or cellular signal. Real-time video and audio streams are sensitive to weak connections.

Joining the call

Open the link from the device you want to use. You will land on a short preview screen where you can confirm your camera, microphone, and speaker. If the camera shows a black tile or the microphone level bar is flat, switch devices in the dropdowns or close any other app that may be holding the camera, such as another browser tab in a meeting.

When you press Join, the room connects to your Investigator. If they have not arrived yet, you will see a waiting state. The Investigator gets a notification the moment you enter, so you will not be left waiting indefinitely without them knowing.

During the call

You can mute your microphone, turn your camera off, and switch input devices at any point. The toolbar at the bottom of the room exposes those controls. If your screen freezes or audio cuts out, the call will try to recover on its own. If it does not bounce back within a few seconds, refresh the page and rejoin from the same link — your seat in the call is preserved.

What is shared and what is private

Only people invited to the room can hear or see what is happening. Your Investigator may share their screen, but you cannot see anything on their dashboard, in other Cases, or in any other Client conversation. The same is true in reverse — you can only see what you choose to share with your camera or screen.

After the call

The link stays accessible inside the Case so you can use it again for follow-up calls, or revisit a transcript if your Investigator decided to share one. New Evidence or Reports the Investigator chooses to share with you will appear in their usual place — see Viewing shared Evidence as a Client and Why Evidence or Reports tabs are missing. If the call repeatedly drops, walk through Troubleshooting reconnecting video.