> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getrivet.ca/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Your clients don't install anything

> Browser-only join — why a click-and-you're-in experience matters for showing up, and what your client actually sees.

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.

## 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 what's already built into the browser.

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.

## What the client sees, step by step

<Steps>
  <Step title="They tap your link">
    From your intake email, calendar invite, or signature.
    `getrivet.ca/your-name` opens to your public waiting room.
  </Step>

  <Step title="A small form">
    First name. Phone number. Tap Join.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## 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.

## 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.

## What if a client's browser is genuinely too old?

Rare. Any browser updated since roughly 2020 works.
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](/troubleshooting/client-cant-join-session).

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="The pre-join screen" icon="eye" href="/video-sessions/the-pre-join-experience">
    What the client sees before joining.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sharing the link with clients" icon="paper-plane" href="/video-sessions/sharing-with-clients">
    Where to put your slug URL so clients find it.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Audio and video quality" icon="signal" href="/video-sessions/audio-and-video-quality">
    The practical tips clients ask about: lighting, mic, internet.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>