Reconnecting a device without losing the discussion

This guide helps you reconnect a dropped phone while keeping table discussion moving. Use it when a participant device disappears from the session but the group should keep working.

Quick path

1. Tell the table to continue speaking at normal pace.
2. Reconnect the phone to the same group.
3. Confirm microphone permission and transcript return.
4. Ask the table to restate the latest decision in one sentence.
5. If reconnect fails, replace the phone.

First 20 seconds in the room

Your wording determines how disruptive the incident becomes. Use a short script: "Please continue, we are reconnecting the phone now." This prevents the whole table from stopping and waiting.

At the same time, quickly check whether this is local (one table) or broad (many tables). For broader impact, also use [Troubleshooting transcription latency](/guides/advanced/troubleshooting-transcription-latency).

One-minute reconnection sequence

1. Reopen the session on the same phone.
2. Confirm the correct group is selected.
3. Check microphone access is allowed.
4. Ask for a short spoken test sentence.
5. Confirm text appears under the correct table.

If this does not recover within about one minute, replacement is usually faster than prolonged troubleshooting.

When reconnection is not enough

Replace the phone immediately when the device keeps dropping, battery is critically low, or permissions remain unstable. Follow [Replacing a phone mid-session](/guides/setup/replacing-a-phone-mid-session), then verify summaries for duplicates using [Preventing duplicate summaries](/guides/advanced/preventing-duplicate-summaries).

Prevent repeated drops

Repeated drops usually follow the same pattern: phones moved around, network zone shifts, or battery saver behavior. Prevent this by keeping devices stationary, ensuring charging access, and testing session stability before start.

If drops hit multiple tables, run [Workshop infrastructure reliability checklist](/guides/advanced/workshop-infrastructure-reliability-checklist).

Related guides

• [Replacing a phone mid-session](/guides/setup/replacing-a-phone-mid-session)
• [Fixing microphone permissions on iOS and Android](/guides/setup/microphone-permissions-ios-android)
• [Network basics for workshops](/guides/setup/network-basics-for-workshops)
• [Troubleshooting transcription latency](/guides/advanced/troubleshooting-transcription-latency)
• [Workshop infrastructure reliability checklist](/guides/advanced/workshop-infrastructure-reliability-checklist)