typical-coral•15mo ago

Error from Vapi Web SDK: `play() can only be initiated by a user gesture`

We have a few instances of this on our web app, I believe it is because Vapi Web SDK is auto playing audio once the connection is made. Is there anyway to fix this?

5 Replies

Ask Inkeep•15mo ago

Hi @Josh (1851 Labs), I'm an AI assistant for Vapi. I'll analyze available sources and get back to you shortly. ----------------------------- While I generate an answer, here are some sources that might be helpful: * Web SDK * Vapi Web SDK * Client SDKs * Vapi Flutter SDK ----------------------------- Answer The error message you're encountering, play() can only be initiated by a user gesture, typically happens due to web browsers' policies to prevent videos and audios from playing automatically without a user interaction, like a click or a tap. To resolve this issue within the context of using the Vapi Web SDK, you should ensure that audio playback (like starting a conversation or speech synthesis) is triggered by some form of user action. This can be a button press or any other explicit interaction from the user. Here is a basic example of how you might adjust your implementation:

// Assuming you have a button with an id of 'startButton'
document.getElementById('startButton').addEventListener('click', function() {
    vapi.start("your-assistant-id");
    // This will ensure the audio starts only after user interaction
});

// Assuming you have a button with an id of 'startButton'
document.getElementById('startButton').addEventListener('click', function() {
    vapi.start("your-assistant-id");
    // This will ensure the audio starts only after user interaction
});

This approach adheres to the browsers’ autoplay policies by initiating the audio play through a user-triggered event, thus avoiding the error related to autoplay restrictions. Make sure to implement similar user-triggered interactions wherever you need to initiate audio playback or voice interactions in your application. This should help mitigate the issue across your web app when using the Vapi Web SDK.

Vapi•15mo ago

@Josh (1851 Labs) Certainly! The VAPI Web SDK should not autoplay audio without user interaction, as this can be intrusive and is often not compliant with web standards. To prevent audio from autoplaying, you should ensure that your implementation of the VAPI Web SDK initiates audio playback only in response to a user action, such as a button click. If you're experiencing autoplay behavior, it's possible that the audio playback is being triggered programmatically without user consent. You'll need to review your code to identify where the playback is initiated and modify it to require a user event. If you need assistance with the specific code or have any other questions regarding the implementation, please provide more details or the relevant code snippet, and I'll be happy to help you further. You can continue this conversation by mentioning me in the message.

typical-coralOP•15mo ago

I think you're incorrect; I think the sdk inserts some audio element into the dom or something. currently in the app the vapi.start is only triggered on a click.

tame-yellow•15mo ago

Can you tell me what is your exact issue?

Vapi•15mo ago

Got it. Tagging @Vapi Team for additional help.

Error from Vapi Web SDK: `play() can only be initiated by a user gesture`

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