Are there any Brave 'security' settings that can affect the 'calling feature' of Google Hangouts / Call Phones from GMail?

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i got you but we try to understand why your shield say or block ads/tracker while in my case that my shield do not block anything while i am on https://community.brave.com/ and i use aggressive and strict setting same thing for hangout website

so we want to know what your shield acculty block as i said earlier cause it does not report any blocking from our side

and have a nice day

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@mk7z,
Please test/report the following for me:

  1. On the new profile you created, visit hangouts.google.com – does this also show 2 ads/trackers blocked in Shields?
  2. If it does, can you expand that area in the Shields panel (click the down arrow, show in image below) and copy/paste the ads/trackers blocked and report them here.

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image750×1120 210 KB

:point_up:Note that in the image I’m using ign.com as an example – please ensure you do this on hangouts.google.com. You can click/drag to select the ads/trackers text in the panel.

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Do you mean this?

image

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@Mattches Is this what you meant?

image

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Yes that is what I meant exactly – except can you click/drag to select the text then copy/paste it here in the thread (in plaintext)?

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> can you click/drag to select the text then copy/paste it here in the thread (in plaintext)

@mattches Like this?

Copy-&-paste (without dragging). I don’t know how to drag-&-drop without having two windows open (source & destination). Is there a way?

2Cross-site trackers blocked

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exactly well done :slight_smile:

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@mk7z,
Thank you – I don’t think this is the cause of the issue. I have two more tests for you to try, if you’r willing.

  1. Try downloading/installing our Beta and see if you get the same results.
  2. Do you have a different PC/Computer you can use to test on?
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@mattches Thanks. I don’t have another computer. If the Beta means downloading a whole other pre-release-ready version of Brave just to test this one issue, I’d rather not at the moment. It seems easier to just go ‘Shields off’ for making calls.

I have no reason to think this is relevant, but in recent weeks I may have tweaked a setting or two after reading the ‘article’ linked below, written by a big Brave fan from Ghacks (Iron Heart) who doesn’t seem to be on here (unless under a different user name).

It’s his privacy-related settings and extensions. I haven’t made use of much of what he included in his list yet, which is why I’m doubtful. Certainly nothing I can think of that has anything to do with allowing/blocking the microphone.

But if you want to scan it and let me know whether you see anything that looks like it could have anything to do the issue, please do.

https://www.ghacks.net/2020/07/05/behave-for-chrome-and-firefox-warns-you-of-port-scans-and-local-attacks/#comment-4467393

Thanks again.

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Hello @mk7z

accrding to your link you posted could you try

– Social Media Blocking (Facebook / Twitter / Google / Linkedin) – Disable them all, unless you use a Facebook / Twitter / Google / Linkedin account, in this case disable these settings only selectively and leave it enabled for the website where you have an account.

enable google on that one

and for this

– WebRTC IP Handling policy – Disable Non-proxied UDP – https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/wiki/WebRTC-Custom-Settings

make it default as i do not know which protocol hangout use

and disable all extension

did you change any flag from the link you mentioned or not?

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@mk7z,
I have one last suggestion for you – may seem weird, but can you try enabling the Autoplay permission for hangouts.google.com? While on hangouts, click the lock icon (in the address bar) Site settings --> Autoplay --> Allow. Ensure you refresh the page after changing this setting.

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@justsomeone1 Thanks but are any of the parameters you’ve cited affected by the Shields on/off status?

Because something in Shields is obviously involved in my issue, otherwise the microphone wouldn’t be blocked by Shields ‘up’ and not be blocked with Shields ‘down’.

Also, note that Shields is a separate category under ‘Settings’ from, e.g., “Social media blocking,” so there’s no apparent connection. The latter was one of the few items I changed, following Iron Heart’s advice.

For WebRTC IP Handling policy, ‘Disable Non-proxied UDP’ is already the setting.

I didn’t make any use of the recommendations regarding ‘flags.’

I haven’t turned off all extensions because I need them (primarily the tab manager-related ones). They were all active when the calling feature (GMail/Hangouts) wasn’t being blocked. I haven’t added any new ones.

Thanks again.

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you welcome @mk7z

i know that it should not affect it but your shield does not work as our work so your case is exception so i can not think in rational way as maybe there a combination of setting that lead to the bug you have

there are should make difference but i asked to make it default

i just want to see if there a extension that interfer with the shield i did not tell you to remove it just disable all of them then test and see if it make difference

and you welcome and have a nice day

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> While on hangouts, click the lock icon (in the address bar) Site settings --> Autoplay --> Allow.

@mattches Thanks, but when I pulled it up, ‘Allow’ (Autoplay) was already set in Profile 2.

I had already tried using Hangouts in that profile (both profiles, actually), so, not having changed anything, that setting must have been active then.

FWIW, no blocks there at the moment:

image
. . . . .
Just noticed that Hangouts, unlike GMail, didn’t reload when I turned Shields ‘off’. Why does GMail need to reload but not Hangouts (if you know)?
. . . . .
A few hours later . . . I can again confirm that with Shields down I don’t experience the issue. (This time calling through Hangouts in Profile 2.)

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@mattches The breaking news is that I just tried a call from Hangouts with Shields down and this time (the first time) I could not be heard (even with Shields down).

That was in the original Profile. I’m now checking what happens when I call from the new Profile.

Same. Can’t be heard.

Don’t know whether relevant, but Hangouts is not reloading when I turn Shields off (or it’s doing it so fast it’s not visible on the screen).

I also don’t recall being prompted about the microphone every time I open Hangouts, which is what’s happening. Usually, that only happens after a system restart.

Any thoughts?

Many thanks by the way for what you’ve done previously in trying to solve this.
. . . . .
FURTHER UPDATE . . . I just tried calling from a non-Private tab in a different account and the call went through with Shields up. Although there were some technical difficulties at first, after that I was able to have a normal conversation with the party I called.

Needless to say, I have no idea what to make of this. (This call was from GMail, not Hangouts.)

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Does it always work in standard tabs (as opposed to private tabs)?

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@mattches

> Does it always work in standard tabs (as opposed to private tabs)?

All of the calls I’ve made so far have gone through, no issue with being heard by the other party.

All were made from Gmail in a regular tab, Shields up.

Do you know whether the ‘call phones’ installation is completely separate for every Google account, or is it a single installation that’s used by all Google accounts that call from the same device in Hangouts / Gmail?

Thanks.

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@Mattches Further update. Tried making two calls from GMail in another Google account, Private tab, shields up.

No problem.

I don’t know whether the issue with the other account (the one where I can’t be heard by the party I’ve called) is one between Brave and Hangouts for that particular account, or one that’s just within Hangouts, having nothing to do with Brave.

Any further thoughts?

Thanks.

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