Zoom FAQ

What if the host is not present in the meeting?

If the host is not in the meeting room, the bot will attempt to ask for recording permissions and never receive permission to record, resulting in the bot not recording the meeting.

The bot will attempt to ask the host for recording permission. But since the host isn't in the meeting, it won't be able to get the permission, so it won't be able to record.

You'll be able to identify this scenario because the bot's status_changes will neither have a recording_permission_allowed or recording_permission_denied event and will remain in the in_call_not_recording state until it times out or the call is ended.

In order for a bot to get recording permissions when the host is not present in the meeting, the creator of the meeting must be authenticated via the [Zoom OAuth Integration](https://recallai.readme.io/reference/zoom-oauth-getting-started).

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But the user said they were the host and were present, why are they showing as is_host: false?

If the end user that created the meeting is not showing up as the host, one of two things is going on:

• They are not signed into the Zoom account where the meeting was created from
• They are not signed into their Zoom client at all

What if the host's local recording setting is disabled?

If the host's global local recording setting is disabled, the bot will fail to record.

In this case, the bot will have a Recording Permission Denied event with a zoom_local_recording_disabled Sub Code.

How to fix: Host should enable their global user-level local recording setting in their Zoom user settings:

What if the host has disabled permitting participants to record locally?

In this case, the host has their global local recording setting enabled, but they can't grant participants permission to record locally, which is needed for a bot to record.

The bot will emit a Recording Permission Denied event with a zoom_local_recording_request_disabled Sub Code.

How to fix: Host should enable this setting by checking the boxes labelled:

• Internal meeting participants
• External meeting participants

What if the host has disabled requesting recording permission within the current call?

If the host has the proper user-level recording settings set up properly on the Zoom website, but has disabled the option to allow participants to request local recording within the call, the bot will not be able to record.

In this case, the bot will emit a Recording Permission Denied event with a zoom_local_recording_request_disabled_by_host Sub Code.

How to fix: Host should enable this setting within the call:

What if Zoom returns an internal error?

On rare occasions, your bot may fail to enter a call with a zoom_internal_error sub code.

Unfortunately this means something went wrong on Zoom's end, and we have limited visibility into the underlying error. We do our best to handle these errors internally through retries but on rare occasions this error can cause a bot to fail.

If you're seeing this error recur for a certain situation or user, please let us know and we can raise the issue with Zoom.

What if the host never received the recording consent popup?

In certain cases, a user may report that the bot never recorded and they never received a recording consent popup to grant recording permissions.

When this happens:

• The bot will have neither a recording_permission_allowed nor a recording_permission_denied event
• None of the meeting_participants on the bot will have is_host as true

This is the same situation as the host not being present, but in this case, the end user that created the meeting was actually in the call.

If the host claimed they were present, but no participant is shown as the host, it's likely that the user joined the Zoom call while signed into a different Zoom user than the one that the meeting was created from.

Many users have multiple Zoom accounts and they'll need to ensure they're joining the meetings from the same account as the one they're creating meetings from. If the end user needs to support granting recording permissions from various Zoom accounts, they can assign their alternative account(s) as alternative hosts.

Which Zoom client does the host need to be on to receive the recording permission pop up?

The host must use the Zoom Desktop app (on Windows, Mac, or Linux). The host should not join Zoom through the web, because the recording permission pop up is not supported on the web.

Can I disable the popups?

There is no way to disable any popups. These are notifications that are mandated by Zoom.

Can I customize the popups?

Unfortunately, the recording disclaimer cannot be customized. The audio announcement, words and buttons in the pop up, and recording symbol in the top left corner all are part of the Zoom permissioning framework and cannot be changed.

What happens if there is a password on the Zoom meeting?

If there is a password on the meeting, it should be embedded in the meeting URL as a query parameter by default. For example, a meeting URL with an embedded password might look like this: https://zoom.us/j/123?pwd=abc. Everything after the pwd=in the URL is the password, which the bot will use to join the call.

If the password is not in the query parameter, the bot will not be able to join the call.

Does the bot need to be let in every time?

The bot will go into the waiting room only if there is a waiting room enabled.

Think about the bot just like a normal participant. If there's a waiting room enabled, then it will go into the waiting room with other participants.

If there is no waiting room enabled, then it will skip the waiting room and join the meeting directly, just like other participants.

If only transcription is being accessed, do we still need to show the recording disclaimer?

Yes. We have verified with our contacts at Zoom -- if any meeting data is being accessed you will need to show this disclaimer.

Apply these settings to future meetings - what does this checkbox actually do?

This checkbox currently has incorrect wording. It's actual effect is that for the duration of the current meeting, if another participant/bot requests permission later on, the response that is selected (Approve/Deny) will be applied to that request as well. It does not apply to future meetings.

Bot consent flow doesn’t work for hosts that use the web client. When will this be fixed?

We have checked with our contacts at Zoom and although it is on their radar, there doesn't seem to be a concrete timeline to fix this.

If we want to have our users OAuth their Zoom account as you've recommended, can we use our existing Zoom OAuth app so users don’t need to Oauth twice?

Yes. You can use your existing Zoom OAuth app, however, you will need to update it to request an additional scope. This will be covered in the technical migration guide.

Will we be able to get the join token for local recording with Zoom workspace-level OAuth?

Yes.

Are Zoomgov URLs supported?

We currently don't have support for Zoomgov URLs, but if this is a requirement for your use case, please reach out to our team.

Why isn't my bot sending chat messages?

If the chat messages sent by your bot aren't showing up, it's likely a problem with your Zoom configuration. Please ensure that "Continuous Meeting Chat" is enabled on your Zoom account.

How to re-enable Recording permission for future meetings

If a user denies a bot recording permission and selects apply to all future meetings, a bot will be unable to record any future meetings.

This typically happens in Personal Meeting ID (PMI) meetings, since this shouldn't affect bots' ability to record newly generated meetings.

Zoom doesn't provide a simple way to re-enable recording permission, and so the workaround is to regenerate your PMI.

How to regenerate your PMI

Sign into Zoom and navigate to Meetings.

Near the bottom of the page, click Edit.

Next to your Personal Meeting ID, click Change.

Update your PMI to a new 10-digit ID. Don't forget to save!

Now that you have a new Personal Meeting ID, recording permission should no longer be automatically denied for future meetings.

Can I Restrict a Zoom Bot to Specific Domains?

Unfortunately, Zoom's "Meeting participants with specified domains" setting is not compatible with bots due to limitations in the Zoom SDK, which allows arbitrary emails to be used. Attempts to leverage ZAK tokens to act as domain-specific users also do not work. If you need bots to record without relying on domain restrictions, consider using Zoom’s 3rd-party recording token, which is designed for secure bot access in such scenarios. Learn more about 3rd Party Recording Tokens.