All the apps let you join a meeting without signing in, but also let you sign in using a Zoom account, Google, Facebook, or SSO. If you're a desktop user, you can also start a local recording, create polls, broadcast your Facebook live on Facebook, and more. In other words, the desktop app is more fully featured, although, if you're a free user, you can still get a lot of mileage from the mobile app. As well as the various other Zoom app downloads, it is also possible to use Zoom in other ways. For example, there's a Zoom Outlook plugin that's designed to work directly in your Microsoft Outlook client or as an Add-in for Outlook on the web.
This Outlook plug drops a Zoom button right into the standard Outlook toolbar and lets you start or schedule a Zoom meeting with a simple click. Another tool for quickly starting or scheduling a Zoom meeting comes in the form of an extension for your favourite browser. A simple click on the Zoom button and you can start a meeting or schedule one for later with all the information on the meeting being sent via Google Calendar to make it easy for participants to join.
If you don't have access to any apps - or haven't installed one - you can run Zoom in a browser. Even if you do have Zoom apps, you can run Zoom in a browser instead. When you click on a Zoom link on a desktop, it will open a quick browser tab that will then launch the app on your device. You can bypass the app and run it directly in the browser instead if you prefer. You might try this if your app isn't working, or if it's out of date or if you're having login problems. You just have to close the app and return to your browser showing this dialog - and you'll see the link to join in the browser.
It is actually possible to get Zoom working on your TV so you can have a video call on the big screen. We've written a detailed guide on the various ways you can get Zoom on your TV that is worth checking out. You can download the Zoom app on your computer or phone and join any meeting with a supplied meeting ID. You can disable audio or video before joining. You can create a free Zoom account and from there you can create a new meeting, schedule one, join a meeting, share a screen, add contacts, and so on.
You can sign up and download Zoom onto your computer using your work email if your system administrator has a Pro, Business, or Enterprise account. You'll then want to sync Zoom to your calendar so you can schedule Zoom meetings and invite remote participants to join. If you're setting up a Zoom Room, you'll need a computer to sync and run Zoom Meetings and a tablet for attendees to launch the Zoom Meetings. You'll also need a mic, camera, and speaker, at least one HDTV monitors to display remote meeting participants, and an HDMI cable to share computer screens on a display, as well as an internet cable for your connection.
You'll also need to download "Zoom Rooms for Conference Room" on the in-room computer and "Zoom Room Controller" for the tablet in the meeting room. You can then sync those rooms to your company's shared calendar so employees can see which meeting rooms are available.
Early in , concerns were raised about Zoom both in terms of security and problems with unwanted guests known as Zoombombers. The company made moves to counter these issues and reassure users about the importance of security and privacy. This includes simple things like removing the meeting ID from the title bar of the call so if users share screenshots online the meeting isn't exposed to future abuse.
The rise in prominence of Zoom lead the service to being abused by internet trolls and people with too much time on their hands. Some individuals were hunting down public and insecure Zoom meetings and letting themselves in, then "bombing" other people on the call with graphic videos, pornography and other inappropriate content.
We wrote a guide on how to stop Zoombombing a while back and there are various ways you can prevent this from happening, including securing your calls, preventing screen sharing and even disabling video. The team behind Zoom made improvements to secure your calls and keep them safe, and as far as we know, Zoombombing is no longer an issue.
Though Zoom offers a lot of products and services to enterprise organizations, including Zoom Rooms which are conference rooms running dedicated software to make conferencing easier , video webinars , and even phone systems, Zoom's core product and the way most people know the service is Zoom Meetings.
Zoom Meetings are the audio and video conferences that allow two or more people to communicate online. Zoom Meetings happen in the Zoom app, and can be started and shared by anyone; these meetings can even be started for free via the app, if you have it installed, or via the Zoom web site.
You can also use Zoom on your phone or cast it to your television. You don't need a paid subscription to start using Zoom. In fact, if someone else sets up the Zoom Meeting and invites you, all you need to do is follow the instructions in the email invitation to start using Zoom. You'll need to click a link to install the Zoom app, and then enter the conference code to sign into the meeting to which you've been invited.
To start your own Zoom Meeting , you'll need a Zoom account, which you can create for free. Go to the Zoom web site and click Sign Up, It's Free at the top of the page and follow the instructions.
They already support a rich API set that easily integrates with a number of applications. That should keep it in the top tier of players in the market. Charlotte Trueman is a staff writer at Computerworld. Trueman covers collaboration, focusing on videoconferencing, productivity software, future of work and issues around diversity and inclusion in the tech sector.
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Zoom to add end-to-end encryption with Keybase acquisition. How to have Teams meetings with people outside your organization. One user connected via laptop showing a grid of remote participants.
Tech Radar. North America. Audio player loading…. Joel Khalili opens in new tab opens in new tab. Kickstarter Tumblr Art Club. Film TV Games. Fortnite Game of Thrones Books. Comics Music. Filed under: How-to Reviews Tech. Linkedin Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. How to register for Zoom The first thing to do, of course, is to register for the service. You might first be asked to enter your date of birth. Even though Zoom asks for a work email, a personal email should work fine.
If you entered an email, Zoom will send an activation email to that address.
Zoom for beginners: how to best use the app for your video calls - The Verge
The rise in prominence of Zoom lead the service to being abused by internet trolls and people with too much time on their hands. Some individuals were hunting down public and insecure Zoom meetings and letting themselves in, then "bombing" other people on the call with graphic videos, pornography and other inappropriate content.
We wrote a guide on how to stop Zoombombing a while back and there are various ways you can prevent this from happening, including securing your calls, preventing screen sharing and even disabling video. The team behind Zoom made improvements to secure your calls and keep them safe, and as far as we know, Zoombombing is no longer an issue. Zoom has been updated with security changes to reassure users. One of these has been the requirement for a password as default for Zoom meetings.
This, combined with virtual waiting rooms , ensures that only those people who have been invited to the call are actually allowed in. Zoom has made it easy to manage and secure your meetings when they're happening. There are a range of security tools you can now access with a couple of clicks including the ability to lock the meeting when it has started so no new people can join, remove current participants on the call, muting participants and disabling private chat too.
To access the Zoom security tools, you can simply click on the security button that appears in the window when the call is happening or hover over a participant to interact with them specifically - to remove them from the call for example. It's now possible to report participants on the call who aren't welcome or are causing trouble.
As well as removing them from the call, you can now send a report to the Zoom Trust and Safety team to handle misuse of the system. This will help block them from the service in future and interfering with other calls too.
In October , Zoom unveiled the public beta for OnZoom. It is described as an online events platform and marketplace that allows paid Zoom users to create, host, and monetise events such as fitness classes, concerts, stand-up or improv shows, or music lessons. When business owners, entrepreneurs, and organizations of all sizes had to find some way - any way - to stay the course and continue providing services to their customers, many turned to Zoom," Zoom explained.
Visit onzoom. In October , Zoom announced Zapps, or apps that both free and paid Zoom users will have access to within the Zoom platform. For example, you can use the Dropbox Zapp to share the document you've been working on, or you can put up a poll using the Slido Zapp, or you can pull up the Asana Zapp and do updates on team projects.
The first of these Zapps will land by the end of Zoom plans to open the ability to offer a Zapp to more developers in the future. Users will be able to search and add approved Zapps and integrate them directly into their Zoom accounts.
Visit zoom. Zoom lets you create recurring meetings. You can set the call settings you want once and have them be in there every time you plan to meet, and you can join calls using the same URL each time.
In the Zoom mobile app, just log in, click schedule, tap the Repeat option, and select a recurrence. For more info on scheduling meetings in general and all of the meeting settings, see Zoom's FAQ on scheduling meetings.
Zoom lets you record calls as videos. You do need permission to do so though. The meeting host will have to enable recordings in settings. It's worth checking your account settings to make sure recording is enabled before you get started. It's worth noting that Zoom admins can activate recording for everyone, for users or groups.
Basic is free and lets you host meetings with up to participants, with a limit of 40 minutes per meeting.
You can also have an unlimited number of one-on-one meetings. All of these meetings can be audio-only or video conferences. Even at the free account level, you can record and save your meetings, share your desktop with the meeting attendees, and use chat tools during the meeting. If the fairly generous features of the free Basic plan are not enough, it's possible to pay for Zoom Pro, Zoom Business, or Zoom Enterprise.
Each of these adds substantial additional features, like the ability to conference more than people at a time and extending the meeting duration past 40 minutes in fact, a meeting can be up to 24 hours long. Zoom is one of many web conferencing tools, but it has grown quickly in popularity in part because it offers a lot of capabilities for free, and also is well regarded as a reliable, high quality conferencing tool that works easily and effectively. Most people will encounter Zoom simply through a meeting that has been set up by someone else, but it's available for you to use as needed, at no cost.
When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Despite the furore, the company that same month announced it had million daily meeting participants. With most countries still in at least a partial lockdown and coronavirus spikes continuing, videoconferencing is here to stay.
Despite some missteps, the company appears poised to continue to grow and evolve, making it an important tool for companies looking to ride out the pandemic with workers distributed far and wide. The platform provides video services for enterprise, consumer and educational customers, and its relatively simple setup compared to competitors took it to Unicorn status in and an IPO in When work-from-home orders swept the globe in March, Yuan said his company would work to support those affected by the outbreak.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made history by holding the first ever cabinet meeting via Zoom, though he was promptly chastized for posting a screenshot of the meeting on Twitter with the meeting ID clearly displayed. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held the first-ever cabinet meeting using Zoom; he wound up in trouble for inadvertently posting the meeting ID.
Setting up a Zoom call requires three things: a Zoom account, a webcam and access to the internet. Zoom encourages users to download the desktop app, although calls can be accessed via a browser with limited in-call features. Mobile users need to download the mobile version on their phone to participate in a call.
To initiate a meeting right away, you log on to the Zoom. You can also schedule a future meeting using a form where you fill in basic details — enable cameras to be on or off, enable the meeting to be recorded, or set up a waiting room, among other options. The free version also limits meetings to 40 minutes.
Although Zoom prides itself on offering a high-quality meeting platform, the company treads a fine line between adding new features and not overwhelming it with the whims of every end user. The in-meeting features offered by Zoom are designed to be easy to find, easy to use and work as expected.
He's responsible for curating our news content, as well as commissioning and producing features on the technologies that are transforming the way the world does business. Tech Radar. North America. Audio player loading…. Most in-office teams have struggled to communicate effectively during the Coronavirus quarantine.
However, using the right video conferencing tool like Zoom can help you bridge most of the gaps well. Basic licenses for Zoom are free. As one of its primary goals, Zoom complies with global privacy frameworks in an effort to keep you, your calls, and all of your information as safe as possible.
Zoom hosts can record locally to their computer unless the recording feature has been disabled by their account owner or admin.
Hosts who are licensed also have the option of recording in both local mode and through cloud storage with just one simple click.
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How zoom app works. Zoom explained: Understanding (and using) the popular video chat app
The app is organized into four main tabs at the top of the screen: Home, Chat, Meetings, and Contacts. The "Home" tab gives you the option to start a new meeting, join a current call, schedule a future event, or share your screen.
If you have any upcoming meetings for the day, you'll also find them in a checklist on the right hand side. You can also click your profile in the top-right hand corner at any time.
This will open a dropdown menu to make quick changes, such as switching your availability or profile photo. The Zoom desktop app. You can also access settings from that menu from any page, or by clicking the gear icon in the right hand corner of the "Home" tab.
This will open the complete Settings menu. Browse through the tabs on the left hand side to make changes. In "General" you can also find "View More Settings" at the bottom, which will open your profile online for complete access to your Zoom account. The "Chat" tab keeps track of any conversations you have between contacts.
You can star or favorite conversations for easy access or browse through your recent ones. You'll also find "Contact Requests" if anyone has requested to join your directory. Additionally, any shared files between contacts will appear in the "Files" section. Desktop chat.
The "Meetings" tab shows a summary of any upcoming meetings, organized by date. You can also toggle between upcoming and recorded meetings at the top, or click the plus sign to schedule a new one. Click on any pre-existing meeting to view options to start it early, copy the invitation, edit, or delete it. You can also click to show the meeting invitation sent to any invitees. Desktop meetings. Lastly, the "Contacts" tab keeps track of the colleagues and classmates you add to the platform.
View contact information by browsing through the left hand categories: starred, external, and cloud contacts. You can also click to view any channels, which are groups of contacts to help organize your activities.
Click the plus sign to add a new contact or channel. Desktop contacts. The setup is slightly different due to limited space. Zoom Meetings happen in the Zoom app, and can be started and shared by anyone; these meetings can even be started for free via the app, if you have it installed, or via the Zoom web site.
You can also use Zoom on your phone or cast it to your television. You don't need a paid subscription to start using Zoom. In fact, if someone else sets up the Zoom Meeting and invites you, all you need to do is follow the instructions in the email invitation to start using Zoom.
You'll need to click a link to install the Zoom app, and then enter the conference code to sign into the meeting to which you've been invited.
To start your own Zoom Meeting , you'll need a Zoom account, which you can create for free. Go to the Zoom web site and click Sign Up, It's Free at the top of the page and follow the instructions. Once completed, you'll be able to start your own meetings. Zoom offers several Zoom Meeting plans. Basic is free and lets you host meetings with up to participants, with a limit of 40 minutes per meeting.
You can also have an unlimited number of one-on-one meetings. All of these meetings can be audio-only or video conferences. Even at the free account level, you can record and save your meetings, share your desktop with the meeting attendees, and use chat tools during the meeting.
If the fairly generous features of the free Basic plan are not enough, it's possible to pay for Zoom Pro, Zoom Business, or Zoom Enterprise. Each of these adds substantial additional features, like the ability to conference more than people at a time and extending the meeting duration past 40 minutes in fact, a meeting can be up to 24 hours long.
You can talk to a Zoom specialist to see if Workspace Reservation is right for you and your organization. Zoom's latest feature comes after a Microsoft survey found that workplace flexibility is now more important than pay for many people.
For more hybrid and remote work news, check out other hybrid work features Zoom has unveiled , new collaboration features in Slack and Apple employees' criticism of the company's return-to-office plan. Your guide to a better future. Zachary McAuliffe.
July 13, a. Zoom further entrenches itself in hybrid work with its new reservation feature.
