Sessions & snapshots
A session is one live connection between an agent and a customer's phone camera. This page covers everything from sending the invite to capturing and annotating what you see.
What is a session
A session pairs one customer with one or more agents for a live, real-time video view. The customer streams their phone camera; agents watch in the browser, capture snapshots, and annotate. Nothing is installed on the customer's device and they never create an account.
Sending invites
You start a session by inviting the customer. SeeItLive gives you three ways to reach them:
- SMS — we text a short link straight to the customer's phone. Best when you have their mobile number.
- Email — we email the link. Useful when you don't have a phone number.
- Copyable link — copy the link and share it yourself over any channel (chat, existing call, etc.).
SMS invites are available on paid plans. Email and copyable links are available on every plan, including the free tier.
The guest camera flow
When the customer opens the invite, the flow is deliberately simple:
- They tap the link — it opens in their phone's normal web browser.
- The browser asks for camera permission; they tap Allow.
- Their live camera view immediately appears in your console.
Ask the customer to allow camera access when prompted — the session can't start until they do. If they tap Block by mistake, see camera permission troubleshooting.
Taking snapshots
A snapshot freezes the current frame and saves it to the session. Use snapshots to record proof, capture a serial number, or keep a still for your records. Every snapshot is timestamped and written to the session's audit log.
- Click the camera button to capture the current frame.
- Snapshots are stored with the session and can be reviewed or delivered afterwards.
- You can capture as many snapshots as you need during a session.
On-screen annotation
Annotation lets you draw over the live view so the customer can see exactly what you're pointing at — a specific connector, a dial, a label. Your drawing appears on their screen in real time, which makes remote guidance far faster than describing things in words.
Session lifecycle
Sessions move through a simple set of states:
- Pending — the invite has been sent but the customer hasn't opened it yet.
- Live — the customer has granted camera access and is streaming.
- Ended — either side closed the session; the camera stops immediately.
- Expired — the invite went unopened past its window and is no longer valid.
Privacy & recording
Live video is streamed peer-to-peer and is not recorded by default. The only things saved are the snapshots an agent deliberately captures. The customer stays in control of their camera the entire time and can stop sharing whenever they want. For the full picture, see session privacy.
The customer can end sharing at any moment — always capture the snapshots you need before closing the session.
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