Troubleshooting

Having trouble with DebateFlow? This guide covers common issues and how to fix them. Most problems can be resolved in a few minutes.

Quick Fixes First

Before diving into specific issues, try these quick fixes that solve most problems:

1. Refresh the page - Press Cmd+R (Mac) or Ctrl+R (Windows)
2. Check your internet - Make sure you're connected and have good signal
3. Clear your browser cache - Sometimes old data causes conflicts
4. Try a different browser - Chrome works best, but Safari, Firefox, and Edge also work
5. Restart your computer - The oldest trick in the book still works

If none of these help, read on for specific solutions.

Microphone Issues

Microphone not working

Symptoms: No transcription appears, audio isn't being captured, or you see a microphone error.

Solutions:

1. Use the built-in microphone check tool

   • Click your profile picture → Test Microphone
   • This will test your full audio setup and identify issues
   • Follow the on-screen instructions for fixing detected problems
   • See Audio Settings for detailed guide

2. Check browser permissions

   • Look for a microphone icon in your browser's address bar
   • Click it and make sure "Allow" is selected for debateflow.app
   • In Chrome: Settings → Privacy and Security → Site Settings → Microphone
   • In Safari: Safari → Settings for This Website → Microphone → Allow

3. Check system permissions (Mac)

   • System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone
   • Make sure your browser (Chrome, Safari, etc.) is checked

4. Check system permissions (Windows)

   • Settings → Privacy → Microphone
   • Make sure "Allow apps to access your microphone" is ON
   • Make sure your browser is allowed

5. Select the correct microphone

   • Check your computer's sound settings
   • Make sure the correct input device is selected
   • Try unplugging and replugging external microphones

6. Check if another app is using the mic

   • Close Zoom, Teams, or other video conferencing apps
   • Close any voice recording software
   • Only one app can use the microphone at a time

7. Test your microphone outside DebateFlow

   • Try recording in another app (Voice Memos on Mac, Voice Recorder on Windows)
   • If it doesn't work elsewhere, it's a hardware issue

Poor transcription quality

Symptoms: Transcription has lots of errors, misses words, or garbles speech.

Causes & Solutions:

1. Background noise

   • Use headphones to reduce echo
   • Close windows, turn off fans
   • Move to a quieter room

2. Microphone too far away

   • Position your laptop or mic closer to the debaters
   • External microphones generally work better than built-in mics

3. Debaters speaking too fast

   • This is normal for debate! The AI handles fast speech well but isn't perfect
   • Your notes and reactions are there to catch what the AI misses

4. Low internet bandwidth

   • Transcription processing happens over the internet
   • If your connection is slow, quality degrades
   • Try disconnecting other devices from WiFi

App Crashes & Recovery

App crashed during a round

Symptoms: Browser closed, page froze, or you got an error screen.

Don't panic! Your data is safe.

Recovery steps:

1. Reopen DebateFlow

   • Go to debateflow.app and sign in

2. Go to your dashboard

   • Click your profile picture → Dashboard

3. Find the round

   • Look in "Your Rounds" section
   • It should be there with everything saved up to the crash

4. Resume where you left off

   • Click on the round to open it
   • You may have lost the last few seconds of audio if it crashed mid-recording
   • Everything else (notes, reactions, assessments) is saved

Browser won't load DebateFlow

Symptoms: White screen, endless loading, or "Site can't be reached" error.

Solutions:

1. Check if DebateFlow is down

   • Try accessing from another device
   • Check social media for outage announcements
   • If it's down for everyone, we're working on it

2. Check your internet

   • Can you access other websites?
   • Try restarting your router
   • Try using mobile hotspot

3. Clear browser cache

   • Chrome: Settings → Privacy and Security → Clear browsing data
   • Safari: Safari → Clear History → All History
   • Select "Cached images and files" and clear

4. Disable browser extensions

   • Some ad blockers or privacy extensions interfere with DebateFlow
   • Try disabling them temporarily
   • Reload the page

5. Try incognito/private mode

   • This runs without extensions
   • If it works in incognito, an extension is the problem

Performance Issues

App running slowly

Symptoms: Lag, delays when clicking, slow response times.

Solutions:

1. Close other browser tabs

   • Each tab uses memory
   • Close anything you're not using, especially video tabs

2. Close other applications

   • DebateFlow needs processing power
   • Close Microsoft Word, Photoshop, games, etc.

3. Check your internet speed

   • Run a speed test
   • DebateFlow needs at least 5 Mbps download for smooth operation
   • Use WiFi instead of cellular if possible

4. Restart your browser

   • Close all browser windows
   • Reopen and try again

5. Restart your computer

   • Sometimes memory leaks slow things down
   • A restart clears everything

6. Update your browser

   • Old browsers are slower
   • Check for updates in your browser settings

Transcription & AI Issues

Transcription not appearing

Symptoms: You recorded a speech but no transcript shows up.

Solutions:

1. Wait a few moments

   • Transcription takes 30-60 seconds after you stop recording
   • You should see a loading indicator

2. Check your internet

   • Transcription requires uploading audio
   • If your internet is slow or disconnected, it won't work

3. Click Timeline to view

   • Transcripts appear in the Timeline panel
   • Click the Timeline button in the upper right

4. Refresh if stuck

   • If it's been more than 2 minutes with no transcript, refresh the page
   • Your round will still be there

AI analysis not running

Symptoms: No "What Just Happened" column, no argument tracking, or analysis fails.

Solutions:

1. Check if analysis is enabled

   • AI analysis starts after the first rebuttal speech
   • You won't see it during constructive speeches

2. Wait for it to process

   • Analysis takes a few seconds after each speech
   • You should see a loading indicator

3. Check internet connection

   • AI analysis requires a strong connection
   • If you're offline or have poor signal, it won't run

4. Try triggering manually

   • After the round, go to the analysis page
   • Click "Generate Analysis" if it didn't run automatically

5. Check for error messages

   • Look for any red error text
   • Screenshot and send to support if you see errors

AI-generated feedback is blank or incorrect

Symptoms: Feedback generation completes but shows nothing or seems wrong.

Solutions:

1. Make sure you have transcripts

   • AI can't generate feedback without speech data
   • Check that transcription worked for your round

2. Check that you completed post-speech assessments

   • AI uses your ratings to generate feedback
   • If you skipped assessments, it has less to work with

3. Try regenerating

   • Click "Generate All" again
   • Sometimes a retry works

4. Edit it yourself

   • If AI feedback is off, you can still write your own
   • Use the AI version as a starting point if needed

Tabroom Integration

Assignments not syncing

Symptoms: Your Tabroom assignments don't appear on the dashboard.

Solutions:

1. Check if you're connected

   • Go to Settings
   • Look at Tabroom Integration section
   • Make sure it says "Connected" with a green checkmark

2. Verify your credentials

   • Make sure you're using the correct Tabroom username and password
   • Try logging into Tabroom.com directly to test

3. Check if assignments are published

   • We can only sync assignments that are public on Tabroom
   • Ask the tournament director if pairings are posted

4. Manually refresh

   • Click the refresh button on your dashboard
   • Wait 10-15 seconds

5. Disconnect and reconnect

   • Go to Settings → Tabroom Integration
   • Toggle OFF, save, then toggle back ON
   • Save again and wait a minute

Can't submit ballot to Tabroom

Symptoms: Copy/paste doesn't work or Tabroom rejects your ballot.

Solutions:

1. Check clipboard permissions

   • Your browser needs permission to copy to clipboard
   • You may see a permissions prompt - click "Allow"

2. Manual copy

   • If copy button doesn't work, select the text manually
   • Right-click → Copy
   • Paste into Tabroom

3. Check Tabroom ballot format

   • Make sure you're pasting into the correct fields
   • RFD goes in RFD field, feedback in comments field

4. Character limits

   • Some tournaments have RFD length limits
   • If your RFD is too long, trim it down

5. Check with tournament staff

   • Some tournaments have specific ballot requirements
   • Ask if there are special instructions

Browser Compatibility

Supported Browsers

Best performance:

• Chrome (latest version) ✅
• Safari (macOS/iOS) ✅

Also supported:

• Firefox (latest version)
• Edge (latest version)

Not recommended:

• Internet Explorer (not supported)
• Very old browser versions

Browser-Specific Issues

Safari:

• If microphone doesn't work, check Settings for This Website
• Clear Safari cache if page won't load

Chrome:

• If slow, disable unnecessary extensions
• Check if hardware acceleration is enabled (Settings → System)

Firefox:

• Microphone permissions are under Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions
• Some Firefox privacy settings block required features

Data & Account Issues

Can't sign in

Symptoms: Login fails, account not recognized.

Solutions:

1. Check which account you're using

   • Did you sign up with Google or Apple?
   • Make sure you're using the same one

2. Check for typos

   • Verify your email is correct
   • Check caps lock isn't on

3. Try the other sign-in method

   • If you're not sure which you used, try both

4. Clear cookies

   • Old session data can interfere
   • Clear cookies and try again

5. Contact us

   • If you can't access your account, we can help
   • Use our contact form

Round data missing

Symptoms: Can't find a round you judged.

Solutions:

1. Check if you're signed into the right account

   • If you have multiple Google/Apple accounts, you might be in the wrong one

2. Check dashboard filters

   • Look in "Your Rounds" section
   • Scroll down - older rounds are below newer ones

3. Search by team name

   • If you have many rounds, use browser search (Cmd+F / Ctrl+F)
   • Search for a team name

4. Check if round was deleted

   • Did you accidentally delete it?
   • Deleted rounds can't be recovered

5. Contact us

   • We can check server logs
   • Use our contact form and include round details

Connection Issues

"Offline" or "No connection" errors

Solutions:

1. Check your WiFi

   • Make sure you're connected
   • Try forgetting the network and reconnecting

2. Check tournament WiFi

   • School WiFi often has restrictions
   • Ask tournament staff for credentials
   • Try using mobile hotspot instead

3. Check firewall

   • Some school networks block certain sites
   • If blocked, use mobile data

4. Airplane mode toggle

   • Turn on airplane mode, wait 10 seconds, turn off
   • This resets your connection

Slow upload/download

Symptoms: Transcription takes forever, pages load slowly.

Solutions:

1. Check speed test

   • Run speedtest.net
   • DebateFlow needs at least 5 Mbps for smooth operation

2. Move closer to router

   • WiFi signal degrades with distance
   • Sitting near the router helps

3. Disconnect other devices

   • If many people are on the same network, bandwidth is shared
   • Disconnect phones, tablets, etc.

4. Use ethernet

   • Wired connection is faster and more stable than WiFi
   • If possible, plug in

5. Use mobile hotspot

   • Often faster than school/tournament WiFi
   • Make sure you have enough data

Still Need Help?

If you've tried everything here and still have issues:

Contact Us

Use our contact form to get help.

Include in your message:

1. What you were trying to do
2. What happened instead
3. Error messages (screenshot if possible)
4. Your browser and operating system
5. Round ID if it's round-specific

Helpful Info to Share

• Browser: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge (and version number)
• OS: macOS, Windows, iOS, Android (and version)
• What round you were in (if applicable)
• When the problem started
• Screenshots of error messages

We typically respond within 24 hours, faster during tournaments.

Related Pages

• FAQ - Frequently asked questions
• Getting Started - Basic setup and usage