FAQ

General Information

What is ooVoo?

With ooVoo you can talk face-to-face over the Internet with high quality video for FREE! If your friend isn't available, you can leave a video message. If you want to connect additional participants in the video call, call phones , use high resolution video or desktop sharing, you can purchase an ooVoo plan or ooVoo Credit. ooVoo offers premium features at affordable rates with flexible payment options to fit any budget.

Why should I use it?

Because seeing is believing. ooVoo is a great way to connect with friends, family, and colleagues using full video and sound. Organize a family get-together, make a powerful impression on clients, or heckle your friends during your favorite sporting event. It's easy, innovative, and best of all, FREE.

How much does it cost?

You can use ooVoo for free to video chat with a friend or colleague, send video messages, text chat or send files. To use advanced ooVoo features such as 6-way video chat, telephony, desktop sharing, and file transfer of up to 25MB you can upgrade to an ooVoo Plan or purchase ooVoo credits.

What do I need to use ooVoo?

For your friends to see and hear you, all you need is a webcam, microphone, and speakers (headset recommended). For your friends to see and hear you on video, all they need is a broadband video connection. Click here to view the system requirements. You can purchase a webcam or headset at the ooVoo Store.

How do I get it?

It's simple and fast to get started with ooVoo. First, pick the plan that best meets your needs. Then click here to download ooVoo and follow the simple instructions to install and register for an account.

Is it available for Mac?

Yes, our Mac version is available from the Download page. You can use ooVoo seamlessly across platforms whether you have a Mac or a PC.

Why use video?

Video allows a face-to-face experience. It's the next best thing to being there in-person. Make a connection, enhance collaboration, and improve communication. See your baby nephew wearing the new outfit you sent him, share the joy of hearing about your friend's new job or watch a client's reaction to your sales pitch.

Can I use it for free in my business?

Yes, ooVoo is FREE for 2-Way calling and ooVoo is a great business tool. Research shows that video increases audience attention and builds speaker credibility while improving collaboration and decision-making in a business environment. Video makes information easier to understand, reduces meeting fatigue, and can reduce cost of travel. Use it to connect to remote offices, board meetings and to make a powerful impact with clients. To get the most out of ooVoo for your business, consider purchasing a plan designed for business which offers 6-way video chat, desktop sharing and blocks advertisements for call participants. Click here to learn more.

What's the difference between the business and consumer plans?

ooVoo has plans that suit any need whether you're looking for an effective, affordable business tool, or want to have fun with friends and family. The main differences between a consumer plan and a business plan are:

1)	Ads. With a Business Plan, you and your conference participants will never see ads in the video call window or in your video chat rooms. Consumer plans have the option to buy-out from seeing advertisements, but will have them by default.
2)	Desktop sharing. Business plans include the premium feature of desktop sharing automatically in the plan to optimize collaboration both internally and externally. Consumers have the option to buy credits to use towards the desktop sharing feature when needed.
3)	Seats. Business plans are purchased in increments of seats. Each seat includes 6-way video chat, desktop sharing, call recording and storing and more. If you want to purchase more than 50 seats, please contact our business sales representative. Each seat can be assigned internally to your sales director, operations, and human resource manager, or externally to your clients as a relationship benefit.

Are ooVoo.com and ooVoo software "spyware" free?

We assure you that our website is 100% safe to use. We do not install spyware or any malicious software, nor do we accept 3rd party banners or scripts on our web site or in the ooVoo toolbar that might redirect you to a malicious address or install malware. www.ooVoo.com is the official distribution channel for ooVoo's software and information about using ooVoo. We also use secondary distributors like Download.com and Tucows.com where you can download our install software. If you have any concerns about installing ooVoo, you can contact our Support group at support@oovoo.com.

Why does McAfee Site Advisor show ooVoo.com as a suspicious web site

Occasionally, a site scanning service such as McAfee Site Advisor will display an alert for www.oovoo.com. Don't be alarmed! ooVoo.com is 100% Safe! This alert is the result of users who have contacted McAfee directly with complaints about a site. In the past, some users have submitted complaints to McAfee about a feature we offer to our users, a web browser toolbar which allows quick access to some ooVoo features as well as to a Yahoo! search field. These users complained to McAfee that the ooVoo toolbar - which is optional to install - is spyware, which it is not. We treat complaints very seriously and are always working with both our customers and organizations such as McAfee to ensure that our user's privacy is protected. If you have any concerns, you can contact our Support group at support@oovoo.com.

Will ooVoo use my computer as a "node" to relay information?

No, ooVoo will not use your computer as a relay server. ooVoo uses its own servers.

I was asked for my email, what do you do with it?

Communicate with you alone. Email is kept private and we do not sell, rent or disclose your email address to other companies. Make sure you enter a correct email address because:

If you forget your password, it's the only way we can send you a new one.
Your friends that know your email address can use it to search for you.
You can choose to receive email notifications when you receive new video messages.

See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Why does ooVoo require users to enter their birthday and gender when signing up for ooVoo?

ooVoo is very concerned about your privacy and we do not share your personal data with 3^rd parties. We require your birthday when you register because all ooVoo users must be 14 years old or older and we check this with your birthday. Putting the proper gender in your account information will help others find you in the ooVoo search, but only if you have your privacy settings configured to allow people to look at your profile. You control how much of your profile information is shared with other ooVoo users in your privacy settings.

In addition, by sharing your gender and age with ooVoo we are able to deliver more relevant advertisements to you in our free product. This will help us to support a great free offering to the public.

What you can do with ooVoo

Can I see more than one person with video at the same time?

Yes. Include your friends! ooVoo 2-way video chat is FREE. Upgrade to ooVoo 3-Way, 4-Way, or 6-Way plans to enjoy up to 6-way video calls and connect more easily with friends, family or colleagues. ooVoo plans are affordable and offer flexible payment terms - get unlimited access to premium service monthly, or use credits to access features only when you need them. Add phone minutes to your plan or use credits if you would also like to add phone participants to video chat or call phones directly. Learn more about ooVoo pricing here.

Looking for an affordable, easy-to-use video conferencing tool for your business? Video conference with up to 6 clients or employees face to face, share right from your desktop from anywhere you are. Learn more about ooVoo for business here.

How many people can I have on my video call at one time?

ooVoo 3-Way, 4-Way, 6-Way and Business plans offer the ability to host a video call with between 3 and 6 video participants at a time. You can also purchase credits and use them to add video participants, get high resolution video, share your desktop and more. Click here to see our Pricing plans.

Can I call phone numbers from anywhere in the world?

If you add a phone plan to your existing ooVoo video plan, your minutes can be used from anywhere to make phone calls to US, Canada and the UK (only landlines in the UK). Phone plans are available to 3-Way, 4-Way, 6-Way and Business subscribers.

ooVoo credits will allow you to call additional countries around the globe. Unlike monthly plans, credits do not expire, and have the flexibility to be used for additional services such as desktop sharing, and adding additional participants to your video chat (up to 6). To learn more about ooVoo credits, click here.

Can I record an ooVoo call?

Yes, by purchasing a monthly plan, you can record your video chats and store them online. Once you receive verbal consent to record the conversation from the participants in the ooVoo call, simply click the 'Record' button.

Can I save a recorded conversation and upload it to a website?

Yes, you can save the recording in AVI or FLV format and upload it to websites. By purchasing a monthly plan, you can store up to 1,000MB of recorded video calls on ooVoo servers, and access them through a web page or stream your recordings remotely.

Can I import ooVoo contacts from any email application?

Yes, you can easily import ooVoo contacts from the most popular email and instant messenger programs (such as Office Outlook, Outlook Express, MSN Hotmail, Yahoo mail, Gmail, AOL Mail, and more), as well as popular social networking sites such as MySpace, LinkedIn, Xing and more.

Can I import phone contacts Microsoft Outlook?

Yes, you can import phone entries you saved in Microsoft Outlook.

When can I send a video message?

Need to talk to someone who is not online or is online but busy? No problem. Use ooVoo to easily create and send video messages. Video messaging is an exciting way to reach out to your contacts when they are unavailable or you just want to send a quick message: "Hey guys, big game tonight, big screen, snacks and drinks at my house!".

Can I send a video message to more than one person?

Yes. You can record a message once and send it to as many contacts as you want! You can even send it to people who don't have ooVoo yet.

Does my friend need ooVoo to view a video message?

No, the video message can be sent to your friend's e-mail and s/he can view it without having ooVoo installed.

Can I preview my video message before sending it?

Yes. Just click 'Play' to preview your message before sending, so you look and sound exactly the way you want.

Can I edit my video message before sending it?

You can re-record your video message as many times as you would like to before you send it out.

How long can my message be?

Record up to 1 minute per video message with the FREE 2-Way plan or purchase a monthly plan to record video messages up to 5 minutes long.

Can anyone initiate a multiparty video call?

ooVoo 2-way video chat is FREE but in order to invite more people to the video call, call phones or use other advanced features you need to upgrade to an ooVoo Plan or buy credits. Only one person on a video call needs to own a multiparty plan; everyone else can have a Free plan and still see and hear everyone on the call.

Can anyone in the call invite more people to a meeting?

Anyone who has an ooVoo Plan or ooVoo credits can invite additional call participants (a 3-Way plan enables a third participant to join the call and a 6-Way plan enables up to 6 video participants. ooVoo credit is charged per participant added). Only one person on the call needs to own a multiparty plan or credits; everyone else can have a free plan.

Can I participate in a video conversation without a camera?

Yes. You will be able to see other people but they will only hear you.

How can I increase my microphone volume so people can hear me better?

During a video call your microphone volume will be adjusted automatically and call participants can adjust their speaker volume during the call. However, if you need to adjust your microphone volume manually, simply select the Microphone drop-down arrow, deselect the auto-adjust setting and move the slider to adjust your volume. For more assistance please click here to contact our support team.

How can I increase my speaker volume so I can hear better?

Use the speaker volume slider in the ooVoo video conversation window to adjust your speaker volume. ooVoo also recommends the use of a headset with built-in microphone for best audio quality.

Can I stop sending a live video while in a call?

Just click 'Stop Camera' icon anytime you want to stop sending your live video; your ooVoo display photo will appear.

How can I mute myself during a call?

If you are in the middle of a call and your roommate barges in to relay highlights from last night's exploits, click 'Mute Microphone' in the ooVoo video conversation window.

I've installed ooVoo but have no one to talk to, what should I do?

Add a friend if you know their ooVoo ID or display name, or try to find them using the search feature. If not, send invitations to your friends. You can even import your e-mail contacts. ooVoo is free, so share it with everyone you know.

How can I add a Call Me button in my Microsoft Outlook e-mail signature?

Click Call Me Button. Enter your ooVoo ID (to find your ID, select 'My account' from the 'File' menu and select 'Edit my ooVoo card') and password (if you forgot it, you can retrieve it from the sign in page). Select a button. Click 'Save HTML' and remember where it was saved.

Microsoft Outlook 2003: Select 'Options' from the 'Tools' menu. Click the 'Mail format' tab and click 'Signatures'. Click 'New'. Select the 'Use this file as a template' option and select your Call Me Button signature HTML file which you just saved.

Microsoft Outlook 2007:Open the saved signature HTML file using a web browser. Press Ctrl + A keys to select the button and then press Ctrl + C keys to copy it. Select 'Options' from the 'Tools' menu, click the 'Mail format' tab and click the 'Signatures' button. Create a new signature or edit an existing one. Right-click in the 'Edit Signature' area and select 'Paste'. Click OK.

Microsoft Outlook 2010: Open the saved signature HTML file using a web browser. Press Ctrl + A keys to select the button and then press Ctrl + C keys to copy it. Select 'Options' from the 'File' menu. Click the 'Mail' tab and click 'Signatures'. Create a new signature or edit an existing one. Right-click in the 'Edit Signature' area and select 'Paste Options'. Click on the left icon (to keep the source formatting). Click OK.

How can I get Desktop sharing?

The desktop sharing service is available in the business plan or by purchasing and using ooVoo Credit.

Account Maintenance

What do I do if I forget my password?

Simply click 'Forgot your password' from the sign-in window, enter the same e-mail address you registered with and click 'Get password'. You should receive an email within a few minutes.

How do I change my credit card information?

If you own a plan that renews every month, sign into your ooVoo account, select the 'Billing Profile' tab and update your credit card details

Equipment

What do I need to use ooVoo?

You just need a broadband Internet connection to see your friends talk to you. For your friends to see and hear you, all you need is a webcam, microphone, and speakers (headset recommended). Click here to view the system requirements. You can purchase a webcam or headset at the Back to top

Do I need to have a webcam?

No, you can participate in ooVoo calls without a camera but we highly recommend that you use one in order to fully experience ooVoo. You can purchase a webcam or headset at the ooVoo Store.

Do I need to have a headset?

No, you can speak using a microphone and speakers but we highly recommend that you use a headset to avoid background noise. A headset allows you to fully appreciate the audio quality of ooVoo.

What if I'm behind a firewall or a NAT?

Firewalls and NATs are security devices (sometimes used at work or home offices) that can make it difficult to send sound and video directly over the internet. ooVoo's is able to bypass most of these devices. If you have a problem connecting through your firewall, click here to check our support knowledgebase for more information or click here to contact our support team.

Do I need to have broadband Internet access?

ooVoo can operate at very low bandwidth, but a video conversation requires a broadband connection. It is still possible to send a video message, chat, and to send files using a slow dial-up connection.

ooVoo Store

What is the ooVoo Store?

Our online Store is the place where you will find great choices for webcams and headsets that you can use with ooVoo. Orders that are placed in the ooVoo Store are serviced and fulfilled by Amazon.com and its partners.

Why is there such a small selection of items on the ooVoo Store?

To make it easy for you to get up and running quickly we've listed a small selection of items that work well with ooVoo.

How do I return something?

All orders placed with the ooVoo Store are serviced and fulfilled by Amazon.com and its partners. If you have problems with your order or would like to return your items, please follow the instructions included with your package.