Video consultations don't need any special equipment, but there are a few things worth checking before you book — especially the fact that the call itself happens in Google Meet rather than inside the Ask A Vet app.
What you need
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| A pet on your account | You choose which pet the consultation is about on the first step of booking. If you don't have one yet, the app shows "No pets yet" with an Add pet button. |
| A payment method that works with Stripe Checkout | Payment is taken on a secure Stripe page that opens inside the app. |
| Google Meet, or a browser that can open Meet links | Tapping Join Meeting hands the link to your phone, which opens it in the Google Meet app or your browser. |
| A stable internet connection | It needs to hold for the duration of the call. |
| Notifications turned on for the Ask A Vet app | So your reminders, acceptance and summary alerts arrive. |
[CONFIRM: any minimum connection speed or device guidance the team wants to publish.]
Camera and microphone permissions
Please note: the Ask A Vet app only asks for camera and microphone access for scanning QR tags and for photos, audio and video clips you send in chat. The consultation's camera and microphone access is granted to Google Meet or your browser instead — so if your camera isn't working during the call, check the permissions for Google Meet, not for Ask A Vet.
You don't need a Google account
The meeting room is open to anyone with the link, so you won't be asked to sign in or wait to be admitted.
Check your device time zone
Every time you see — available slots, your booked start time, reminders and the times printed in emails — follows your device's own time zone. When the vet's clinic is in a different time zone, the booking screen tells you so, with a line such as "Times shown in your timezone ({City}). Vet is in {City}."
Important: if your phone's date, time or time zone is set manually and is wrong, your booking may not line up with the vet's.
Booking a shared pet
If the pet belongs to someone else's family sharing setup, you need the "book calls" permission for that pet. Without it, booking is blocked with a Booking access restricted message.
Related articles