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If you are unable to make a voice or video call to a contact, this article is designed to help you troubleshoot the reasons why.
It is possible that you are connected to chat through a browser that does not have the voice and video chat plug-in enabled. Video and video calls are only available between Gmail, iGoogle or orkut users with the voice and video chat plug-in installed.
To check if you have the voice and video chat plug-in installed:
- Click the Options button at the bottom of your chat list.
- Select Chat settings... from the menu.
In iGoogle and orkut, if you have the plug-in installed, you will see the current version number of the plug-in on the left side of the resulting menu. You will also have the ability to change your device settings. In Gmail, if you have the plug-in installed, you will see this same information from the Voice and video chat section of the Chat settings tab.
Do you have the voice & video plug-in installed?
Does the contact you are calling have a camera icon next to his or her name in your chat list?
We're sorry to hear you're still experiencing difficulty placing a call. Please contact us with additional information.
One or both sides experiencing missing video or audio may be an indication of an incorrect setup. We recommend troubleshooting this issue by reviewing the common reasons why you are missing video or audio.
We're sorry to hear you're still experiencing difficulty. Please visit the Help Group to get additional support for your issue. You can post a question or find answers from Google guides and our most knowledgeable users.
How is your friend connecting to chat?
If your friend is using the Google Talk client, they will only be able to receive voice calls from you. If you wish to video chat with that friend, they will need to access chat through Gmail, iGoogle or orkut and install the voice and video chat plug-in.
If your friend is signed into chat through Gmail, iGoogle or orkut, but does not have a camera icon next to his or her name in your chat list, he or she isn't available for voice and video calls because their computer does not have the voice and video chat plug-in installed.
You can invite your friend to install the plug-in by opening a chat window with them and selecting Invite to voice/video chat in the Video & more or Actions menu.
You will need to install the voice and video chat plug-in before placing a call.
