Microphone access
Getting the radio working, and getting it back if you said no by mistake. Covers Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox on both Windows 11 and macOS, and the operating system settings that sit behind the browser and block it even after the browser says yes.
You only need the microphone to talk. Everyone hears the radio either way, so a member who cannot get their mic working can still join the drill, listen, and follow along. Nobody has to sit out.
Two permissions, not one#
This is the part that catches people. There are two separate switches, and fixing the wrong one changes nothing:
- The browser asks whether this website may use your microphone.
- Windows or macOS decides whether that browser may use the microphone at all.
If the operating system is blocking the browser, the browser's own permission looks correct and the radio still does not work. When something is not adding up, check the operating system second. It is almost always the one that was missed.
What you see in Scene SizeUp#
| What is on screen | What it means |
|---|---|
| A browser prompt asking to use your microphone | Choose Allow. This is the normal first time. |
| Mic access denied: allow the microphone in your browser settings | The browser is refusing. Follow the steps below, then press retry. |
| Tap to turn the radio on | Not a permission problem. Browsers will not play sound until you interact with the page. Tap the button and it is done. |
| The push-to-talk button does nothing on a phone | Press and hold. A tap is too short to key up. |
Allowing it the first time#
Join the drill and press the push-to-talk button once. The browser asks, you choose Allow, and the browser remembers for next time.
Choose Allow rather than "Allow this time". Allow this time means the same prompt every drill, and it is easy to miss during a size-up.
Getting it back after saying no#
Once you have denied it, the browser stops asking. You have to change it by hand.
Chrome and Edge#
- Go to getsizeup.com and look at the left end of the address bar, next to the padlock.
- Click the icon there (recent Chrome shows sliders, older versions a padlock).
- Find Microphone and set it to Allow.
- Reload the page. The retry button often works on its own, but a reload always does.
If you cannot find it, paste one of these into the address bar and look for getsizeup.com in the blocked list:
- Chrome:
chrome://settings/content/microphone - Edge:
edge://settings/content/microphone
Safari (macOS)#
- With getsizeup.com open, go to the Safari menu and choose Settings.
- Open the Websites tab, then Microphone in the left column.
- Find getsizeup.com in the list and set it to Allow.
- Reload the page.
Firefox#
- Click the padlock at the left of the address bar.
- If you see a blocked microphone entry, clear it using the x beside it.
- Reload the page and press push-to-talk again so Firefox asks fresh.
You can also go to Settings, then Privacy & Security, find Permissions, and open Settings beside Microphone to remove getsizeup.com from the blocked list.
When the browser is set correctly and it still does not work#
Now check the operating system.
Windows 11#
- Open Settings, then Privacy & security, then Microphone.
- Turn on Microphone access.
- Turn on Let apps access your microphone.
- Scroll down and turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone.
That last one is the usual culprit. Your browser counts as a desktop app, and if it is off, every website is denied no matter what the browser says.
macOS#
- Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Microphone.
- Turn on the switch for your browser: Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox.
- If macOS asks you to quit and reopen the browser, do it. The change does not always apply to a browser that is already running.
A browser that has never asked for the microphone may not appear in that list yet. Try to transmit once, let macOS ask, and choose OK.
Still nothing#
Work down this list. It is roughly in order of how often each one is the answer.
- Another app is holding the microphone. Zoom, Teams and Meet keep it even when the meeting looks closed. Quit them fully, then reload.
- The wrong microphone is selected. If you have a headset, a webcam and a built-in mic, the browser may be listening to one that is not near your mouth. Check the microphone chosen in your browser's site settings.
- A headset with its own mute switch. In-line mute on a cable or an earcup is invisible to the browser: everything looks correct and no sound arrives.
- You are not on getsizeup.com. Permission is granted per site. A bookmark to an old address is a different site to the browser.
- A work laptop with managed settings. Some departments push a policy that blocks microphone access entirely. Your IT contact can allow getsizeup.com.
If none of that does it, join and listen for the drill, and tell your instructor. You still get the whole exercise; you just cannot key up, and the after-action review shows you were there.