Help › Troubleshooting
My chat says the security check didn't pass
What the website chat's security messages mean, why they appear, and what you or your visitor can do about them.
Your website chat uses Cloudflare's security check to keep bots and spam out. For nearly everyone it runs quietly in the background. Sometimes a visitor sees a message instead of a reply. This article explains each message and what to do.
The quick check card
If Cloudflare isn't sure a visitor is a person, the chat shows a card:
This is normal. Once they tick the box, the chat carries on, and anything they typed is sent. If they try to send a message before ticking, the card gives a little shake to point them back to it.
The messages, and why they appear
All of these start with "The chat couldn't start:" and end with your phone number, so the visitor can always ring you instead.
| Message | Why |
|---|---|
| ...the security check didn't pass. | Cloudflare's check finished, but it wasn't accepted, for example because the same check was used twice. |
| ...the security check didn't load. | Something stopped Cloudflare's check from loading in the visitor's browser. Content blockers, strict privacy settings, very old browsers and some workplace networks can do this. |
| ...too many chats were started from here. Try again in (a few minutes). | Lots of new chats came from the same internet connection in a short time: more than 6 in 10 minutes, or 30 in a day. Connections that behave like a bot can also be turned away for a while. |
| ...it couldn't connect. | Anything else, such as a dropped connection. |
Once a chat is running, a visitor might also see:
| Message | Why |
|---|---|
| That's a lot of messages in a short time. Try again in (a few minutes). | They sent messages very quickly. |
| The chat is very busy just now. Please call (your business) on (your number). | Your chat has had a very large number of messages today. |
| The connection dropped before I could reply. Send that again, or call (your business) on (your number). | The reply was cut off. Sending the message again usually works. |
What your visitor can do
- Reload the page and try again. A fresh page gets a fresh check.
- If the check didn't load, pause any ad blocker or privacy extension for your website, or try another browser.
- If they're on a workplace or public Wi-Fi network, try mobile data instead.
- If it says to wait, wait for the time shown.
- Call you. Your number is always in the message.
Once a chat has started, the browser remembers it, so they won't usually see the check again while they carry on that conversation.
What you can do
- Try it yourself. Open the chat on your website, or click Open the chat in Settings, under Website chat. If it works for you, the problem is likely with that visitor's browser or network.
- Check where the chat is. The chat only opens on the website CallsCovered has on file for you, and other addresses ending the same way. On any other address the panel won't open at all. See The chat on your website.
- Tell us. If several visitors see the same message, email hello@callscovered.ai with roughly when it happened, which message they saw, and which browser or phone they used. You can't switch the security check off from the dashboard, and we'd rather fix the cause.
The security check only protects the website chat. It doesn't affect calls or texts.
Still stuck? Write to hello@callscovered.ai with your business name and what you were trying to do, and a person will reply.