Random video chat combines a matching service with real-time audio and video delivery. The queue decides who meets; the media layer carries the call. Those are separate jobs, and understanding the difference makes camera, connection and privacy problems easier to diagnose.
What happens after you press Start?
- Start and prepare media. Basic random matching requires no signup. Your browser asks for camera and microphone access when those devices are enabled; Gold, friends and private chat require sign-in.
- Enter the matching queue. A WebSocket connection tells the matching service that you are available. Basic random matching is free; optional region or gender preferences require Gold.
- Receive a room assignment. When two available accounts are paired, the service assigns a room and retrieves a time-limited media token.
- Join the live channel. Meetchi currently uses the Agora RTC browser SDK for the call. The local camera and microphone tracks are published only when enabled, and the remote tracks are subscribed to when available.
- Talk or move on. Next leaves the current room, disconnects its matching socket and begins a new search. Ending, reporting and blocking are separate actions.
WebRTC, STUN and TURN in plain language
WebRTC is the browser technology commonly used to deliver low-latency camera and microphone streams. Before two endpoints can exchange media, ICE connectivity checks look for a workable network path. A STUN service helps an endpoint learn how it appears outside its local network. When a direct route cannot be established, a TURN relay can carry encrypted-in-transit media between endpoints.
Meetchi delegates its current RTC transport to Agora rather than exposing a hand-built peer connection or a public Meetchi STUN/TURN list in this codebase. Network topology can therefore vary. Do not assume every call is direct peer-to-peer, and do not treat WebRTC as a promise that the person at the other end cannot record their screen.
Camera and microphone permissions
Permission is controlled by the browser and operating system. Meetchi cannot publish a device track that the browser has denied. If the preview stays blank, check the site-permission icon, close other apps using the camera, select the correct device and reload. Turning the camera off closes the local native video track so the device is released.
Matching, premium preferences and Next
The matching socket carries room and preference signals; it is not the video itself. Optional region or gender preferences are sent only when premium matching is selected. A preference narrows the search but cannot guarantee that a particular kind of person is online. Choosing Next unpublishes media, leaves the RTC channel, leaves the assigned matching room and requests another room.
Report, block and moderation limits
Use Next or end the call first if you feel unsafe. Report sends the selected reason for review; Block & next also prevents the unwanted connection from continuing through the account controls. Automated signals, user reports and account actions reduce risk, but no moderation system can inspect or prevent every harmful interaction in real time.
What is and is not stored?
Meetchi's current Privacy Policy says video and image content are not recorded or stored by Meetchi. It also identifies session and room-ID cookies used for authentication and the active room. Product operation additionally requires transient room, account and report data to route calls and apply controls.
That statement does not control the other participant's device: they may take screenshots or record the screen. Keep identifying information out of view and consult the current Privacy Policy for the authoritative disclosure rather than assuming a live stream leaves no data anywhere.
Mobile connections
Supported mobile browsers use the same permission and RTC concepts, but changing between Wi-Fi and cellular data can interrupt the route. Keep the browser in the foreground, use a stable connection and expect the call to reconnect or end when the network changes.