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The single biggest reason clients no-show a virtual session is friction at the door — a download prompt, an “update your app” notice, an account creation form. Rivet video removes all of it. Your client clicks one link and is in the waiting room. That’s the entire flow.

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What “browser-only” actually means

When a client opens getrivet.ca/your-name on session day:
  • No download. The waiting room is a webpage. Their browser handles the video.
  • No account. They type their first name and phone, tap Join. Nothing saved on their device, no password to remember.
  • No software check. Any reasonably recent Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge works. iPhones and Android phones work. iPads work. Old laptops with a browser they haven’t updated in a year — usually work.
  • No browser extension. Some platforms still ask for a browser plugin for screen share or audio. Rivet uses only standard browser APIs.
This matters because the people most likely to no-show are also the people most likely to bounce off a download prompt — clients in crisis, first sessions, anyone whose phone is the only device they have. Removing the download step is the single biggest reliability gain available.

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What the client sees, step by step

1

They tap your link

From your intake email, calendar invite, or signature. getrivet.ca/your-name opens to your public waiting room.
2

A small form

First name. Phone number. Tap Join.
3

The pre-join screen

A 4:3 self-preview frame appears, mirrored like a selfie camera. A five-bar mic level meter sits in the corner. Mic and camera toggle buttons below. They check their setup and tap Join Session.
4

A waiting card with their own preview

“Connecting… Waiting for {your practice name} to join.” They see themselves in the centered preview the whole time.
5

The session starts

Your video fills the main stage. Their own camera appears as a small tile bottom-right. Mic, camera, and an end-call button at the bottom.

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Why we don’t ship a “Rivet for clients” app

Every “download our app” requirement is a pre-session task you’ve handed your client. Most clients won’t do it. Some will do it five minutes before session time and find the install failed. A small number will refuse. None of those outcomes are worth the trade. A native client app would offer marginal improvements — slightly better echo cancellation on some devices, push notifications for the waiting room — and meaningful costs (App Store reviews, version drift, the install step itself). Browser-only wins for the same reason the web won for most consumer software: the cost of entry is zero.

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What clients are told before session day

Most practitioners pre-empt the few questions clients do have. The version that works for most therapists is two lines in the intake email:
Your sessions happen at getrivet.ca/your-name. Open the link a few minutes before our session time. You don’t need to download anything.
That’s enough. The pre-join screen handles the rest — clients don’t need instructions for a self-explanatory camera/mic check.

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What if a client’s browser is genuinely too old?

Rare. Any browser updated since roughly 2020 supports the WebRTC features Rivet uses. If a client lands on the waiting room and gets “Couldn’t start”, the fix is almost always one of: update Chrome/Safari, allow camera and mic permission for the site, or close other apps using the camera. See Client can’t join.

The pre-join screen

What the client sees before joining.

Sharing the link with clients

Where to put your slug URL so clients find it.

Audio and video quality

The practical tips clients ask about: lighting, mic, internet.