Participate in the live room

🟡 Member-focused article | Last updated: October, 2026

This article will walk you through all the available options for participating in live rooms on desktop or in the Circle iOS and Android apps.

While you’re in the live room, you can access various functions from the control bar at the footer of your screen:

• Manage device settings

• Report technical issue

• Internet strength

• Raise your hands

• Toggle microphone and camera

• Share your screen

• Reactions

• Participate in a chat

• Participate in Q&A

• View participants list

• Change view mode

• Leave room

Let’s look at how to manage your options and participate in the live room effectively.

To manage your audio and video preferences, click Device settings ⚙️ on the control bar. You can configure the following:

• Camera input

• Blur your background

• Mirror your video input

• Microphone input and audio output

• Background noise suppression

  

To report any technical issues you experience during the live stream, click Report issue on the control bar. You can provide the following details:

• Type of issue: Audio, video, connection, screen sharing, or other technical issue

• Description: A brief summary of the issue

• Technical details: Toggle this option on to automatically include technical information that can help us troubleshoot the issue. If you prefer not to share this information, you can toggle it off.

  

To check your internet strength, click the Internet strength icon on the control bar to ensure you have a stable connection for the live stream.

Raise your hand to virtually indicate that you may need assistance, want to add something to an ongoing discussion, or want to ask questions. To raise or lower your hands, click Raise hand 🤚 on the control bar. When you raise your hands, it'll be visible on your thumbnail in the live views and participant panel.

To mute or unmute yourself or turn your camera on or off, click the Microphone or Camera icons on the control bar.

Depending on the browser you are using, when you click the Screen sharing icon on the control bar, you'll be prompted with options such as a specific browser tab, window, or entire screen of your device.

Once you begin ‌screen sharing, your live room view will appear grayed out to avoid infinite mirroring.

When you’re done sharing, go to your live screen, and click Stop sharing.

ℹ️ Note: Only one participant can share the screen at a time. If someone is already sharing a screen, the screen sharing icon will be disabled for you.

📚 For more information about sharing your screen or system audio, see the following articles:

• Share your screen during a live session

• Share system audio when sharing your screen

To add a reaction, click the Reactions icon on the control bar. When you add a reaction, a pop-up with your name will appear, and the reaction will be visible to all participants.

Live room chat helps you connect with other participants via messages and media. To access the chat panel, click Chat 💬 on the control bar. Utilize the messaging field at the bottom of the chat panel to compose and send chat messages.

In addition to your text message, you can:

• Share images, emojis, GIFs, and files to enrich conversations.

• Mention other attendees to draw their attention.

• Link to community content using Hashtags for easy reference.

📚 For a comprehensive guide on sending messages, replying in threads, and reacting with emojis, see our guide on Participate in live chat.

💡 Tip: To edit or delete your chat messages, simply hover over your message, and click the More actions (three dots) icon.

If Q&A is enabled, click the Q&A (?) icon on the control bar to access the list of questions.

Use the messaging field at the bottom of the Q&A panel to compose and send your questions. You can also ask questions anonymously by toggling on Ask anonymously before sending. You can also:

• Reply to other participants' questions by clicking Reply to this question (💬). Once ready, press Enter or click Send (⬆️).

• Delete your question by clicking Delete (🗑️) under it.

• Upvote other members' questions by reacting with 👍.

• Sort questions by Most popular, Latest, or Oldest.

• Filter questions by type using All, Answered, Unanswered, Waiting for approval, or Dismissed.

📚 For a comprehensive guide on participating in Q&A during live streams, see our guide on Ask questions using the live Q&A.

To view all participants, click Participants 👥  on the control bar. You can click the participant’s name or icon to view their community profile or send them a direct message.

To switch between Speaker and Gallery view, click the View icon in the top-right corner and select an option from the menu.

ℹ️  Note: While screen sharing is active, the option to change the layout will be disabled. You can go fullscreen while someone is sharing their screen. Hover over the screen, and click the Fullscreen icon in the upper-right corner.

As a participant in the live room, you have the flexibility to customize the number of speaker tiles per page. Use the slider under Speaker tiles in the View menu to adjust your preference. You can choose as few as 2 tiles or go all the way up to a maximum of 16 tiles per page in both gallery and speaker views.

The Circle mobile app also has a control bar to help you manage options when participating in the live room. When joining from the app, you can do the following in the live room:

• Toggle microphone and camera: Tap the Microphone or Camera icon to enable or disable it.

• Manage live video layout: Swipe right to switch to the Gallery view.

• Participate in chat: Tap the Chat 💬 on the control bar to view, send, and manage your chat messages. To edit or delete your chat message, tap and hold on the message.

• View participants: Tap the Participant 👥 on the control bar to see all participants. You can also tap on any participant to view their profile.

• Leave room: Tap the X icon in the top-right corner to leave the room.

💡 Tip: To go fullscreen on iOS, tap anywhere on the screen, which will also hide all the controls. Tap again to exit the full screen. If you have enabled the screen rotation on your iOS device, you can also rotate your phone to view the room horizontally or vertically.

• Join a live room

• Join a live stream

• Participate in the live stream