> ## 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.
# The pre-join screen
> What you and your client see right before the call starts — selfie-mirror preview, mic level meter, mic and camera toggles, and the Join gesture.
Both you and your client land on the same pre-join screen the moment a
session starts. The screen exists for one reason: nobody should join a
clinical session without confirming their camera is framed right and their
mic is hearing them. This is the standard Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft
Teams pattern, built into Rivet from day one.
## What's on the screen
* **Practice name** at the top
* **"Check your camera and microphone, then join."** subtitle
* **A 4:3 self-preview frame**, rounded, with a brand-color glow around it
* **A 5-bar microphone level meter** overlaid at the bottom-left of the
preview, lit from left as input level rises
* **Microphone and camera toggle pills** directly under the preview
* **A "Join session" button** at the bottom
The preview is mirrored — when you raise your right hand it appears on the
right side of the frame, the same way a bathroom mirror works. This is the
universal convention for self-view.
## Camera and mic turn on automatically (when the browser allows)
On Chrome and Firefox, if you've previously granted camera and mic
permission to `meet.getrivet.ca`, the camera and mic come on automatically
within about a second of the pre-join screen appearing. You don't tap
anything — you just see yourself, the meter starts moving as you speak.
On Safari (macOS and iOS), browsers require an explicit user gesture before
they'll start the camera and mic. The first tap anywhere on the page —
the camera toggle, the mic toggle, or even the Join Session button —
counts as that gesture and triggers the permission prompt. Either way, by
the time you tap Join Session, the camera and mic are running.
If neither auto-enables, tap the camera or mic toggle. The first tap
triggers the browser's permission prompt. Allow access, and both come
online.
## Toggling mic and camera before you join
The mic and cam pills are toggle buttons. Tap to turn off, tap to turn on.
Whatever state you leave them in when you tap Join Session is the state
you'll be in when the session starts:
* **Tap Join Session with the mic off** → you join muted. Tap the mic
button in the in-call toolbar to unmute.
* **Tap Join Session with the camera off** → you join with no video.
Your client sees a placeholder where your face would be. Tap the camera
button in-call to turn it on.
Joining muted or camera-off is a first-class option. Useful if you want
to confirm the call connected before showing your face — e.g. if you're
unsure whether you're in the right session.
## What the client sees vs. what you see
On the pre-join screen, both sides see the same layout. The selfie-preview
is each person's own camera — you see yourself, the client sees themselves.
The "Join session" button locks in local mic and camera for each side.
After your client taps Join, they move straight into the calm waiting space.
There's no separate "in line" screen — the device check flows directly into
the calm room. When you arrive, your video appears and the session begins.
They don't need to tap anything else.
## While your client waits
Once your client taps Join, they move past the camera check into a quiet
waiting space. They see a calm scene with gentle background music — laid out
the same way the session will be, so your arrival feels like a natural
continuation rather than a jump cut.
They can mute the music at any time with the button in the toolbar. Their
camera and mic stay ready throughout.
When you join, your video appears on their screen. The music fades and the
session begins from there.
## The mic level meter
Five horizontal bars at the bottom-left of the preview. As your mic picks
up sound, bars light up from left to right. This is the single most
useful piece of pre-join feedback:
* **No bars light up when you talk** → your mic isn't connected, isn't
permitted, or another app has hijacked it (a common one on macOS: a
paired iPhone within Bluetooth range steals the mic via Continuity).
Tap the mic button to confirm permission. Disconnect Bluetooth or sleep
the nearby iPhone.
* **All five bars max immediately on every word** → your mic gain is too
high, or your mouth is too close. Move back a few inches.
* **Two to four bars on normal speech** → good. Join.
## Joining the session
Once you tap **Join session**:
1. The pre-join card slides away.
2. A short "Connecting…" card appears.
3. Once both sides connect, the in-call workspace mounts: your client fills
the main stage, your own camera shrinks to a corner tile, the toolbar
appears at the bottom.
If your client is already in the calm waiting space when you tap Join,
the connection is nearly instant.
## Related articles
What happens after you tap Join Session.
Mute, camera, layout, share — every button explained.
Lighting, mic placement, browser choice — the practical setup tips.