What is Echo Prevention?

With our Echo Prevention feature, people in the same room with different devices can connect to the same meeting with all mics on and no echo. This means no more crowding around a single webcam or needing to invest in expensive A/V equipment for the boardroom so everyone can be seen and heard clearly.

Why should I use it?

In addition to preventing echo when multiple users are in the same physical room, Echo Prevention allows users to stay engaged during meetings while maintaining their personal space. Because each user has their own device, everyone on the call will:

  • have their own video circle and nameplate (no more forgetting names when several users share one webcam)
  • be able to react with gifs, emojis and sound reactions
  • have access to shared notes
  • be seen and heard clearly

From a technical standpoint, Echo Prevention is all about preventing echo when multiple devices are used in the same physical space. But what it actually does is even better than that: it enables everyone to work in the space they feel most comfortable.

How does it work?

We perform a series of checks to determine if any users are in the same room together. If we find two or more users in the same space, we automatically place them in an Echo Prevention Group and give them each the option to confirm this setting.

If we find users that are close but possibly not in the same room (e.g. adjoining offices), we alert the users that someone is nearby and let them manually decide whether they should be in an Echo Prevention Group.

Bluetooth discovery

Bluetooth discovery makes Echo Prevention more precise, allowing it to work with more complex network setups or organizations that utilize VPNs. In more common scenarios, using Bluetooth discovery makes connecting to a meeting with an Echo Prevention group quicker. To enable:

  • Navigate to Settings → Audio
  • Scroll down to Echo Prevention discovery via Bluetooth
  • Click Enable Bluetooth

How do I turn Echo Prevention on/off?

Echo Prevention is enabled automatically when a user joins a meeting room with another user while on the same WiFi. If at any point during a meeting you’d like to leave an Echo Prevention Group or remove someone from the group, simply click on the Echo Prevention button at the bottom of the meet window and then select who you’d like to remove... including yourself. And if you leave an Echo Prevention group by accident, you can use the same button to rejoin at any time.

Troubleshooting

Echo Prevention is currently in Beta and, as such, may not work seamlessly in all scenarios. For the best experience, please note the following:

  • Everyone wanting to join the same Echo Prevention Group should be connected to the same WiFi
  • Use of a VPN can prevent the detection of available Echo Prevention Groups
  • Headphones are not needed and can cause audio problems in some cases
  • Finally, if a person tries to join an Echo Prevention Group from the browser, Around will automatically disable their microphone and speaker. Moving to the Around desktop app will allow for the full Echo Prevention experience.


Have a question that isn't answered here? Please reach out to [email protected] and include "Echo Prevention" in the subject line. Thanks!