CoPilot Interview Not Hearing the Interviewer? Fixes for Windows and Mac

If CoPilot Interview's captions stay empty or show only your voice while the interviewer talks, the app isn't receiving the meeting's audio. On Windows, make the meeting app play through your computer's default output device and resume listening. On a Mac, allow Screen Recording, then follow the note the app shows when the captions area reads ● REC MIC.

CoPilot Interview is an AI interview assistant that hears the interviewer from your computer's audio output, not through a meeting connection, so every fix below is about that path.

Read the status first

Fix it on Windows

1. In the meeting app's audio settings, note which speaker it uses.
2. Open Settings → System → Sound and make that same device the default output. Mismatched devices are the most common cause.
3. If you dialed in or chose phone audio, leave the audio and rejoin with computer audio.
4. In the session, pause and resume listening: press Ctrl+Shift+L twice or click the orb twice. The app reconnects both audio sources.
5. Still nothing? Click End, run ▶ Start test on the setup screen and play a video. If the Interviewer meter stays flat, restart CoPilot Interview and test again.

Fix it on a Mac

1. If the app shows “Screen Recording permission required”, click Open Settings, enable CoPilot Interview under Privacy & Security → Screen Recording (Screen & System Audio Recording on current macOS), then quit with ⌘Q and reopen. The notice says it is needed for screenshots and system-audio capture.
2. Run the audio check and watch the Interviewer meter while a video plays.
3. If it reads “no audio”, or the captions area shows ● REC MIC with the BlackHole note, follow that note: it asks you to install BlackHole, a third-party virtual audio driver, for system audio capture. The app gives no further steps for it.
4. Until the meter moves, the session hears only your microphone. Don't rely on the permission alone; the meter is the test.

Causes outside the app

• The call is on a phone. Dial-in, call-me and handset calls never reach the computer.
• Bluetooth reconnected or a dock or monitor with speakers took over the output. Reconnect the device you tested and resume listening.
• The interviewer's audio dropped. If you can't hear them either, the app can't.
• Speakers instead of headphones. Your mic may pick up the interviewer, but the captions mix in your voice and echo. Use headphones.

How AI interview assistants capture system audio explains why the output device matters, and headphones and audio setup covers device choices.

If it happens in the middle of an interview

Keep the interview going in your own words, then press Ctrl+Shift+L twice to reconnect. If the meeting audio drops out, the session carries on with your microphone only. You can also type the question into 💬 Type to ask AI anything... and click Send. Whatever you do in a live interview, follow your employer's rules.

Still stuck

Email support@copilotinterview.com with your operating system, meeting app and headset model, and what the status line says. Short audio segments go through the company's server to the speech-to-text provider and are not stored; see the privacy policy. The setup guide has the full permission steps.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the app hear me but not the interviewer?

It is getting your microphone but not the computer's output. The meeting app is usually playing through a different device from your default output; on a Mac, follow the captions note about BlackHole.

Is Screen Recording permission enough on a Mac?

Allow it, but check the Interviewer meter afterwards. If it reads no audio, the app asks you to install BlackHole for system audio capture.

Does it work if the interviewer is on speakerphone in a conference room?

Yes, as long as their voice plays through your computer. How they connect doesn't matter; how you connect does.

Can I fix it without ending the session?

Often. Match the output devices, then press Ctrl+Shift+L twice to pause and resume listening, which reconnects both audio sources.