Troubleshooting

Start with a test call. It checks your microphone, sharing and connection without anyone else on the line.

Nobody can hear me

• Check the microphone permission. If Founder Hud shows "Founder Hud can't use the microphone", click Open Settings and turn on Founder Hud under Privacy & Security > Microphone. Then call again.
• Check which microphone is in use. Founder Hud uses the Mac's default input and output. To change them, open System Settings > Sound. Founder Hud follows the change during a call.
• Check that you're not muted. Press ⇧⌘M to toggle.

With Bluetooth headphones connected, Founder Hud records from the Mac's built-in microphone when there is one. That keeps your headphones in their high-quality mode for listening.

I can't hear the share

In the call window's sidebar, open People, click the screen button next to Open on Sam's row, and check that the volume is up. The share's sound comes from what the sharer picked: a window or app share carries only that app's sound.

I can't see a share

• Another share is in front. The call window shows one share at a time. Click Sam's share in the call window's bar, Open on Sam's row in People, or Sam's screen under Switch to in the menu at the share's top left.
• It says "Waiting for Sam's screen". The first frame hasn't arrived. Give it a few seconds, then read the line under "Sam's screen" at the share's top left: it says Connecting…, Reconnecting…, Poor connection or Connection lost when the link to Sam is the trouble.
• It's blurry or stutters. On a direct connection, pick a lower quality, such as 720p or Data saver, under Quality in the menu at the share's top left. "Network too slow" means the network can't keep up. "Their computer is busy" means the sharer's Mac can't keep up.

I can't share my screen

If Founder Hud shows "Couldn't share your screen", read the reason under it and share again. Sharing needs no permission. Only hiding other apps when you share a whole display needs Screen Recording. If you hide apps that way, click Open Settings and turn on Founder Hud.

Permissions after an update

Every release keeps the same app ID and signature, so macOS keeps your permissions across updates. If a permission is on in System Settings but its feature still fails:

1. 1

   Turn it off and on

   In System Settings > Privacy & Security, turn Founder Hud off and on again for that permission.

2. 2

   Reopen Founder Hud

   Quit Founder Hud from its menu bar menu and open it again.

A call won't connect

• "Call is full". A call holds up to 8 people.
• A red dot on a face, "Couldn't connect". A network between you blocks the call. Check that Settings > Calls > Network > Use Cloudflare relay when a direct connection fails is on.
• An orange dot, "Poor connection". More than 5% of voice packets are lost, or the round trip is over 300 ms. See Connection quality.

Firewalls and strict networks

When a direct connection fails, Founder Hud relays the call through Cloudflare. If your network has a firewall, it needs to allow outgoing traffic to Cloudflare on at least one of these ports. Founder Hud tries TLS on port 443 last.

Two kinds of network still block calls:

• Networks with a proxy that inspects and re-signs TLS traffic
• Networks that allow traffic only through an HTTP proxy

Signing in

Transcripts and notes

• "Speech Recognition is off for Founder Hud". Turn it on in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Speech Recognition.
• "On-device transcription does not support" your language. Apple's on-device speech recognition doesn't cover your Mac's language.
• No notes after a call. Notes need Apple Intelligence, and a transcript of at least 10 lines.

Still stuck

Email info@lowsidelabs.com with what you did and what you saw.