As part of Stitch's response to the COVID-19 crisis, we're working hard on a number of new features designed to help members create and sustain social connections even when you can't meet in person.

This is a huge amount of work which touches on many of the different aspects of Stitch, and will incorporate a range of new features, which we'll be releasing as they come available over the coming weeks and months.

The first of these is Stitch Video Chat for Activities.

The Stitch Video Chat feature allows attendees at a virtual Stitch Activity to chat to each other in person via live video chat, without needing to install any additional software or get familiar with external video services like Zoom or Skype. 

PLEASE NOTE: This feature is still under development, so we are releasing it as a "Beta" feature so that Stitch members can start using it as quickly as possible. Just please be aware that some aspects of the feature are still limited, and we will be updating it regularly as we get feedback from our members.

KNOWN ISSUES: Please scroll to the bottom of the page for a list of current known issues & limitations.

Organizers of activities on Stitch can now create "virtual", or online, activities, for other members to attend using online video. These can be hosted using major third-party video providers such as Zoom, or using Stitch's own Video Chat feature. Check out our article on hosting a virtual activity on Stitch for details on how to set up a virtual event.

If an event host chooses Stitch Video Chat for the event, they don't need to do any other configuration; everything will be handled by Stitch.

Once you register for an event that uses Stitch Video Chat, you'll see something like this in the event details:

The blue button is disabled, indicating that the event has not started yet. Once it is time for the event to start, the button will change to say Join now! as shown below:

Simply select the Join now! button to join the event.

Once you select Join, a new window will open which will prompt you to enable your video before you join the chat. It will look something like this:

Your camera and microphone will not work until you grant permission for them to be able to be used. Select the Request permissions button as shown in the image above.

Your browser will prompt you to confirm that you grant permission for your camera and microphone to be used. Each browser will do this slightly differently: some will pop up a message box window, while others will show a prompt in the notifications area of your browser. It may look something like this:

Select Allow to enable access, and then Join meeting.

IMPORTANT: You need to enable your camera and microphone using the above steps, or else you will not be able to participate in the Video Chat.
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Stitch uses a technology called Whereby to provide our video chat capabilities. If you want to know whether your device is supported, or to troubleshoot getting your camera or microphone to work, here are some relevant articles from Whereby:

As mentioned above, Stitch Video Chat is a Beta feature so we are continuing to work on it, and welcome any feedback you have.
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Current known issues and limitations include: