app/Http/Controllers/InterviewController.php

@@ -663,11 +663,11 @@ public function getPollData($id)
             }
         }
 
-        // Clean up stale active_peers (> 15 seconds)
+        // Clean up stale active_peers (> 30 seconds)
         $activePeers = $interview->active_peers ?? [];
         $now = now()->timestamp;
         $validPeers = array_values(array_filter($activePeers, function ($p) use ($now) {
-            return ($now - ($p['last_seen'] ?? 0)) < 15;
+            return ($now - ($p['last_seen'] ?? 0)) < 30;
         }));
         if (count($validPeers) !== count($activePeers)) {
             $interview->update(['active_peers' => $validPeers]);
@@ -726,12 +726,13 @@ public function registerPeerHeartbeat(Request $request, $id)
         $role = $request->input('role', $user ? ($user->is_admin ? 'admin' : 'interviewer') : 'candidate');
         $userId = $user ? $user->id : 0;
 
+        $interview->refresh();
         $activePeers = $interview->active_peers ?? [];
         $now = now()->timestamp;
 
         $updatedPeers = [];
         foreach ($activePeers as $p) {
-            if (($now - ($p['last_seen'] ?? 0)) < 15) {
+            if (($now - ($p['last_seen'] ?? 0)) < 30) {
                 if ($action === 'leave' && ($p['peer_id'] ?? '') === $peerId) {
                     continue;
                 }

resources/js/candidate-proctor.js

@@ -1135,7 +1135,7 @@ class CandidateProctoring {
                 const objectDetector = await this.withAmdLoaderDisabled(() =>
                     this.createModel(vision.ObjectDetector, fileset, {
                         modelAssetPath: OBJECT_MODEL_URL,
-                        runningMode: 'VIDEO', maxResults: 10, scoreThreshold: 0.15,
+                        runningMode: 'VIDEO', maxResults: 10, scoreThreshold: 0.35,
                     })
                 );
                 this.phoneDetector = new PhoneDetector(objectDetector);

resources/js/candidate-room.js

@@ -271,26 +271,12 @@ export function saveCanvasDrawing(force = false) {
 }
 
 // --- Candidate Chat Polling & Sending ---
-export function pollCandidateChat() {
+export function pollCandidateChat(data) {
-    const interviewId = document.body.dataset.interviewId;
-    if (!interviewId) return;
-
-    fetch(`/candidate/poll/${interviewId}`, {
-        headers: { 'Accept': 'application/json' }
-    })
-    .then(r => {
-        if (!r.ok) return null;
-        const contentType = r.headers.get('content-type');
-        if (!contentType || !contentType.includes('application/json')) return null;
-        return r.json();
-    })
-    .then(data => {
     if (!data) return;
     const chatHistory = document.getElementById('candidate-chat-history');
     if (!chatHistory) return;
 
     if (data.status === 'blocked' || data.is_expired) {
-            window.location.reload();
         return;
     }
 
@@ -318,8 +304,6 @@ export function pollCandidateChat() {
         chatHistory.innerHTML = html;
         chatHistory.scrollTop = chatHistory.scrollHeight;
     }
-    })
-    .catch(() => {});
 }
 
 export function sendCandidateMessage() {
@@ -345,7 +329,13 @@ export function sendCandidateMessage() {
     })
     .then(r => r.json())
     .then(() => {
-        pollCandidateChat();
+        fetch(`/candidate/poll/${interviewId}`, {
+            headers: { 'Accept': 'application/json' }
+        })
+        .then(r => r.json())
+        .then(data => {
+            if (data) pollCandidateChat(data);
+        });
     });
 }
 
@@ -972,10 +962,6 @@ export function initCandidateRoom() {
     // Start Candidate Camera
     startCandidateCameraStream();
 
-    // Chat polling
-    setInterval(pollCandidateChat, 600);
-    pollCandidateChat();
-
     // Heartbeat & Polling
     if (candidateHeartbeatIntervalTimer) clearInterval(candidateHeartbeatIntervalTimer);
     sendCandidatePeerHeartbeat();
@@ -985,7 +971,6 @@ export function initCandidateRoom() {
 
     setInterval(() => {
         if (!interviewId) return;
-        sendCandidatePeerHeartbeat('heartbeat');
 
         fetch('/candidate/poll/' + interviewId, {
             headers: { 'Accept': 'application/json' }
@@ -994,6 +979,8 @@ export function initCandidateRoom() {
         .then(data => {
             if (!data) return;
 
+            pollCandidateChat(data);
+
             if (data.active_peers && Array.isArray(data.active_peers)) {
                 const activePeerIds = new Set(data.active_peers.map(p => p.peer_id));
 

resources/js/interview-call.js

@@ -606,7 +606,7 @@ export function updateCandidateStatusIcons(isMicOn, isCamOn, isJoined = true) {
     const screenWrapper = document.getElementById('screen-wrapper');
     const joinedPill = document.getElementById('candidate-joined-pill');
 
-    if (!isJoined) {
+    if (!isJoined && !candidateStreamConnected) {
         if (joinedPill) {
             joinedPill.className = 'pill gray inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 font-semibold text-[11px] px-2.5 py-0.5 rounded-full border border-slate-700 text-slate-400 bg-slate-800/60';
             joinedPill.innerHTML = '<i class="fa-solid fa-circle text-[8px] text-slate-500"></i> Not Joined';
@@ -692,13 +692,18 @@ export function pollReviewData() {
             const currentUserId = window.currentUserId || 0;
             const myPeerId = 'interviewer_' + currentInterviewId + '_' + currentUserId;
 
+            const candVid = document.getElementById('interviewer-cand-video');
+            const candidateStreamConnected = candVid && candVid.srcObject && (candVid.srcObject.active || (candVid.srcObject.getTracks && candVid.srcObject.getTracks().length > 0));
+
             const candidatePeer = (data.active_peers && Array.isArray(data.active_peers))
                 ? data.active_peers.find(p => p.role === 'candidate' || (p.peer_id && p.peer_id.startsWith('cand_')))
                 : null;
 
-            if (candidatePeer) {
+            const isCandidateJoined = Boolean(candidatePeer) || Boolean(candidateStreamConnected);
-                const isMicOn = isTrueVal(candidatePeer.mic_on);
+
-                const isCamOn = isTrueVal(candidatePeer.cam_on);
+            if (isCandidateJoined) {
+                const isMicOn = candidatePeer ? isTrueVal(candidatePeer.mic_on) : true;
+                const isCamOn = candidatePeer ? isTrueVal(candidatePeer.cam_on) : true;
                 updateCandidateStatusIcons(isMicOn, isCamOn, true);
             } else {
                 updateCandidateStatusIcons(false, false, false);