When a call does not connect
Why some calls cannot be joined at all, what “No direct connection possible between your devices” means, and what every other call ending says.
Private.Ki calls go straight between the two devices, with no relay of ours in the middle (that is what keeps the sound out of our reach — see How call encryption works). That is true on every plan. The price of it is real: not every pair of networks can be joined directly. Roughly 10–20 % of combinations cannot, and on those the call does not happen at all.
What you see
The two devices have about 20 seconds after the call is accepted to find a direct path. If they cannot, the call ends by itself with:
No direct connection possible between your devices
The encryption bar stays on that screen — nothing was sent in the clear, and nothing was sent at all.
In the conversation the line reads Call · not connected, never Missed call. That distinction is deliberate: nobody ignored you, and there is nothing for the other person to feel bad about or call back about in a hurry.
What to try
In order of how often it helps:
- Change one side's network. Mobile data instead of Wi-Fi, or the other way round. Most failures are one restrictive network meeting another, and moving either one usually fixes it.
- Turn a VPN off for the call, on either side. A VPN is a common cause — see Using Private.Ki with a VPN.
- Try once more. Network conditions change from minute to minute; a second attempt on the same networks sometimes lands.
- Send messages instead. Messages always go through our server and are never affected by this. Nothing about chat, voice messages or attachments depends on a direct connection.
Private.Ki calls go directly between the two devices, so no server of ours ever carries the audio or video. When a network pair will not allow that, messages and a voice message always get through — they travel through our server as ciphertext and never depend on a direct connection.
The other endings, and what each one means
The call screen always says which ending it was:
| On the screen | What happened |
|---|---|
| No direct connection possible between your devices | The 20 seconds passed with no direct path. Chat line: Call · not connected |
| No answer / Missed call | It rang for about 45 seconds and was not picked up. Chat line: Missed call |
| Declined | The other person pressed Decline |
| Busy | They are already in another call — one call at a time, per account |
| Call ended / Call cancelled | One of you hung up, or the caller stopped it before it was answered |
| Connection lost | An established call dropped, usually because one side's network went away |
| Microphone blocked | The microphone permission was refused on this device. Grant it in the browser's or phone's own settings |
| This browser cannot make encrypted calls / This device cannot make encrypted calls | The frame encryption could not be set up, so no call was placed — see How call encryption works |
After most endings the call screen offers Call back or Call again, and the chevron takes you back to the conversation.
Common questions
Why can a chat message get through when a call cannot?
They travel differently. A message goes to our server, which holds the encrypted copy until the other device collects it. A call has to be a live path between the two devices, and some networks refuse to form one.
Does it help if we are both on the same Wi-Fi?
Usually, yes — two devices on one network find each other easily.
Was anything sent before it gave up?
No. The call never reached a connected state, so no audio and no video left either device.
Does a Plus subscription change this?
No — every Private.Ki call is direct, on either plan. That is what keeps the audio and video off our servers entirely.