Co-browse & screen sharing support
Co-browse and screen sharing work differently depending on where the customer is and how the session started:
- Customer in the widget: the customer is on your website, which has the auvious widget.
- Customer in the mobile SDK: the customer is in your native app, which uses the iOS or Android SDK.
- Standalone: there is no video call. The agent creates a PIN and the customer enters it, or (widget only) the agent sends an invitation over a web chat.
- In a video call: the agent asks for co-browse or screen sharing during an auvious video call.
The biggest difference is what co-browse sends. In the widget, co-browse sends a copy of the page's HTML, so the agent can control the page. In the mobile SDKs, co-browse sends a video of the app's screen with sensitive views blacked out, so the agent can see and draw but not control. See Screen sharing VS Co-browse for the general difference between the two features.
Co-browse
| Widget, standalone | Widget, in a video call | Mobile SDK, standalone | Mobile SDK, in a video call | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supported | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (AuviousCobrowse) | ✅ when the app sets cobrowseAvailable |
| How it starts | The customer enters the agent's PIN in the widget, or the agent sends an invitation over web chat (Genesys Cloud, Talkdesk) | The agent requests it from the call | The app starts it with the agent's PIN | The agent requests it from the call |
| Customer consent | Entering the PIN is the consent; a chat invitation asks the customer to accept. Optional disclaimer (cobrowseDisclaimerUrl) | The customer accepts a request | A short explanation, then the iOS / Android screen recording prompt | A short explanation, then the iOS / Android screen recording prompt |
| What the agent sees | A live copy of the web page (HTML) | A live copy of the web page (HTML) | A video of the app's screen | A video of the app's screen. The call itself is hidden from the agent |
| Agent controls the page or app (click, type) | ✅ after the customer grants control | ✅ after the customer grants control | ❌ | ❌ |
| Agent's pointer shown to the customer | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Agent draws (marker, arrow, eraser) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Customer draws back | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Masking of sensitive content | CSS selectors with setCobrowseFilters (dark box, blurred or hidden). Password and file inputs are never sent | Same as standalone | AuviousMaskingRules and auviousMasked: masked views are blacked out in the video | Same as standalone |
| What is shared | Only pages that have the widget. Same-origin iframes are included; cross-origin iframes need an extra script | Same as standalone | Only this app. On Android 14+ the whole screen can be allowed with allowsEntireScreenShare (no masking outside the app) | Same as standalone |
| Navigation | Continues in single-page apps; reconnects after a reload or a full page load. More | Same as standalone | Continues across all screens of the app. Pauses while the app is in the background | Same as standalone. The call shrinks to picture-in-picture while sharing |
| Orientation | Any | Any | iOS: portrait only. Android: locked to the current orientation | Same as standalone |
| Switch to screen sharing | ✅ the customer can (cobrowse-display-capture), or the agent can request it | The agent can request it | ❌ | ❌ starting co-browse stops a screen share |
| Who can end it | Customer or agent | Agent. When the call ends, the customer is asked whether to stop co-browsing too | Customer (End button), the app (stop()) or agent | Customer, the app or agent. The call continues |
| Customer devices | Desktop and mobile browsers, web-view apps (Cordova, Ionic) | Desktop and mobile browsers | iOS 15+, Android 6.0+ | iOS 15+, Android 6.0+ |
Screen sharing
| Widget, standalone | Widget, in a video call | Mobile SDK, standalone | Mobile SDK, in a video call | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supported | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ use standalone co-browse instead | ✅ (screenSharingAvailable on iOS, screenShareAvailability on Android) |
| How it starts | The customer enters a PIN for a screen share session, starts it from a co-browse session, or the agent requests it (co-browse or web chat) | The customer clicks share screen | — | The customer taps share screen. The agent cannot request it |
| Customer devices | Desktop browsers only. Mobile browsers cannot share their screen | Desktop browsers only | — | iOS 15+, Android 6.0+ |
| What can be shared | Entire screen, a window or a tab, as the browser offers. Safari shares only the entire screen | Same as standalone | — | iOS: only this app. Android 14+: only this app, unless allowsEntireScreenShare is set (other apps are never shared). Android 13 and below: the entire screen |
| Masking of sensitive content | ❌ | ❌ | — | ❌ masking applies only to co-browse |
| Agent AR pointer and drawing on the share | ❌ | ✅ | — | ✅ (arPointerAvailable), and the customer can draw back |
| While sharing | — | Not available while co-browse is active in the call | — | The call shrinks to picture-in-picture. Nothing is sent while the customer is outside the app, unless the entire screen is allowed on Android |
| Who can end it | Customer (button or the browser's stop control) or agent | Customer | — | Customer |