Most sites describe this as if it were one straight line. It is not — there are four points where things go one way or another, and almost every "it did not work" is one identifiable branch rather than the whole thing being broken.
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Fork 1
The mode you pick decides which queue you are in
Video, voice and text are not three settings on one queue. They are three separate queues, and whoever you are matched with picked the same one you did.
You pick video→You are queued with people who also chose video. Camera and microphone will be requested when a match connects.
You pick voice→Microphone only. No camera is requested at any point, and nobody is expecting to see you.
You pick text→Neither is requested. Nothing on your device is touched.
This is why nobody here is put in front of a camera they did not plan to turn on — the choice happens before matching, on both sides.
Fork 2
Your browser records camera access in three states, not two
This is the single most common reason a video chat appears to do nothing. People assume permission is a yes/no switch; browsers actually track a third state, and the one you are in changes what you should do.
Already allowed→The camera opens straight away when a match connects. Nothing is asked.
Not yet asked→You see a short explanation of why the camera is needed, then your browser shows its own permission box.
Previously refused→Nothing is asked and nothing opens. Once you have refused, the browser stops asking — there is nothing left for the page to trigger. The setting has to be changed in your browser or system settings; reloading alone will not undo it.
iPhone is a special case. Safari on iOS does not let a page look up which of those three states you are in, so it is treated as not-yet-asked and the explanation is shown. That is not the page forgetting you — it is the only behaviour available when the state cannot be read.
Fork 3
A connection only counts once a picture actually arrives
There is a difference between a connection being attempted and a conversation having happened, and it matters for what you are charged.
The first video frame arrives→You are in a conversation. This is the point at which it counts.
The connection never produces a picture→It was not a call you had. A connection that never delivered a frame is not treated as a completed conversation.
Something fails mid-way→The session is closed and cleaned up, and you can start another. A failure to connect is reported as a connection problem, not as a permission problem — they are handled separately so the advice you get matches the actual cause.
Fork 4
What each of your three exits actually does
Not every conversation is one you want to continue. There are three different ways out and they are not interchangeable.
You skip→The current conversation ends and you go straight back into the same queue for a new person. You do not return to the start screen and you do not re-pick your mode.
You block someone→That person will not come back around. This is the one to use when the issue is that specific person rather than the conversation.
You report someone→It goes to moderation, which runs around the clock. Reporting is not the same as skipping — skipping moves you on, reporting records what happened.
Try the first branch
Pick a mode and see where it goes. No download, no sign-up form.