Persistent co-presence group videoconferencing system

A method comprising:

• receiving a data stream from a plurality of client devices connected to an online meeting room, wherein (i) the plurality of client devices is associated with a plurality of users, (ii) the data stream comprises audio data and status data, and (iii) the status data indicates whether a corresponding user is in an active conversation with another user connected to the online meeting room;
• for each client device of the plurality of client devices, determining whether a corresponding user is in an active conversation with another user connected to the online meeting room based on the status data included in the data stream of the user;
• responsive to determining that a first user of the plurality of users is in an active conversation with a second user of the plurality of users:
• displaying an indication that the first user is in an active conversation with the second user, and
• displaying an indication that the second user is in an active conversation with the first user;
• receiving an indication to join the conversation between the first user and the second user;
• responsive to receiving the indication to join the conversation between the first user and the second user:
• sending a request to a client device of the first user and a client device of the second user to join the conversation, and
• playing the audio stream corresponding to the first user and the second user.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, storing instructions configured for execution by one or more processors of a first client device associated with a first user, the instructions when executed by the one or more processors cause the first client device to:

• initiate a connection to an online meeting room;
• receive video data and audio data from one or more client devices of one or more other users also connected to the online meeting room, the one or more client devices of the one or more other users including a second client device associated with a second user;
• responsive to being connected to the online meeting room, display a video stream based on the received video data from the one or more client devices of the one or more other users connected to the online meeting;
• while receiving the video data and audio data from the one or more client devices of the one or more other users connected to the online meeting room, receive a request from the second client device of the one or more client devices to start a conversation with the first user;
• responsive to receiving the request, play an audio stream based on the audio data received from the second client device;
• for each other user of the one or more other users connected to the online meeting room:
• assign an attenuation factor corresponding to the other user based on a conversation status between the other user and the first user, and
• attenuate, based on the assigned attenuation factor, an audio feed corresponding to the other user;
• combine the attenuated audio feeds corresponding to each other user of the one or more other users connected to the online meeting room;
• and
• play the combined attenuated audio feed.