Call quality issues

Whilst most Chalkboard calls will always benefit from the best calling experience, sometimes, things go wrong, with some calls occasionally experiencing call quality issues.

This guide of FAQs is designed to help you understand certain variables that can lead to call quality issues, with some tips on how to fix these issues.

You'll need a good data connection, either by Wi-Fi or mobile data, to use Chalkboard.

All calls are placed using VoIP, which means if you're placing calls using mobile data, for the best quality of service, you'll want to make sure you have good coverage of 3G, 4G or 5G, depending on your device's capabilities.

Dropped calls are a frustrating problem that can happen to any device during a phone call.

Often, call dropping occurs when either jitter occurs or a software or connection issue crops up during a call which means the quality of service goes down to a point where the call can no longer continue and it disconnects.

Jitter is essentially the time delay that can happen between when data is transmitted from one device and received by another.

Variables such as poor data connection, router issues and device-specific issues such as CPU-intensive programs/updates running whilst in a call can affect the quality of your call and ultimately create jitter.

Jitter can create different issues depending on different variables, ranging from dropped calls to choppy/robotic-sounds and delayed/one-way audio.

Each call is different, and sometimes issues can appear as quickly as they disappear and may be very intermittent.

Jitter can be caused by either party, so it's worth testing calls to multiple people before raising reaching out to us to check that it's not the other person who is struggling with their data connection or having device-related issues.

Firstly, check your data connection - sometimes rebooting a phone or resetting a router can make all the difference.

You need a good data connection to get the best out of your calling experience and to reduce jitter and packet loss.

Secondly, check that you're not running any CPU-intensive OS updates on your device, installing large volumes of apps in the background or that you don't have any apps open in the background that could be disrupting your call quality.

Often, public networks in places like coffee shops have a bandwidth limit in place to allow for as many users as possible to connect, which means that when you try to place a call, often the bandwidth is throttled meaning jitter could occur.

If you've run through this guide and are still facing issues, please head to Settings (cog at top right) and tap on Get help where you'll be able to raise a ticket with us.

So we can look into this in detail, please include the below in your ticket:

• The phone numbers of both parties involved in the call
• The date and time the call was placed/received
• The duration/length of the call