2020 has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride — we have faced some of the most unusual scenarios in the past couple of months while fighting to curb the spread of COVID-19. Chief among them were the precautionary measures that mandated people maintain a physical distance from others.

As a result, many businesses and educational institutions had to close their doors for their staff and customers alike – resorting to working from home where possible.

This created an unexpected dependency on digital platforms that help people communicate and collaborate with ease. So, it comes as no surprise that Zoom usage has been up by 21% since the end of 2019 – there were 12.92 million active users in February this year, and the number keeps increasing.

That explains why Zoom has become the most popular video conferencing tool for organizations of all sizes that are struggling to stay in business despite the raging pandemic.

The good news is that using it is quite straight forward. However, like all things technical, it has some vulnerabilities that can frustrate users, especially those with little to no experience in dealing with technology.

Common Zoom Issues And Easy Fixes

We have explored some of the most common issues that users face and have provided instructions on how to solve them.

Audio Or Camera Troubles

Does it ever happen that you join a Zoom meeting but can’t see and/or hear others?

Don’t worry; it’s probably because you are in such a hurry to get started that you close the window that pops up before entering the conference, without caring for what it’s telling you.

Next time, do not close it, and just press “Join with Computer Audio Tab.” However, if you closed the window by mistake, press the join audio toggle on the bottom left, and then press “Join with Audio Computer.”

If people still can’t hear you – press the space bar – or click the microphone icon on the bottom left and unmute it.

If your camera is not functioning, click the camera icon in the taskbar to enable it. If it still shows an error, go your system’s camera settings and permit it to be accessed by apps.

Gatecrashers

Whether you are heading an online class or having a team conference to check progress — these sessions are private, and only relevant people should be allowed to participate.

Sadly, Zoom bombing has become a thing – it’s where unwanted individuals gatecrash your online meeting to cause chaos and put you off track. Despite the many security layers, some people manage to enter meetings where they aren’t welcomed.

Here are some steps you can take to ensure that your Zoom sessions remain secure:

• Update to the latest version of Zoom — many new security measures have been put in place to prevent Zoom bombing. Now, apart from the ID, a password is also required, plus all participants first get placed in a waiting area and need to be allowed by the administrator to enter.
• Don’t share your meeting ID and password on public places like your companies social media account. Instead, it would be best to send it privately via email, WhatsApp, etc.
• Lock the meeting once everyone has joined by clicking on participants
• Delete people who are not meant to be there by clicking on participants, then choosing the particular ID and then delete
• Disallow deleted people to come back in, by going to the meeting tab under account settings

Don’t See All The Features

Did you just join a call and can’t see all the features that can enhance the experience for you?

You are either using a way old version of Zoom that needs to be updated, or you are accessing via your browser and not the dedicated app.

There is a simple fix, just download the app and use it to hold and join meetings – this way, all the features will be visible to you.

Distorted Videos And Audio

Since most of us are working from homes, it is quite common to a considerable amount of distortion in your meeting.

There can be several reasons for this: the internet connection may be glitchy, other participants may have rowdy children playing in the background, or they may have just left the TV on. Any of these circumstances can lower the quality of your Zoom experience.

So make sure that only one person talks at a time while everyone else keeps their mics off. In fact, next time, when hosting a meeting, deactivate all participant mics so they will be muted by default.

To do so, click on “Participants”, then “More”, and then select “Deactivate Participants” at the entrance. You also have the option to “Mute All” mikes during the call, by choosing Mute All under the participants tab.

Not Receiving The Activation Email

If you sent out a request to join but are unable to receive the email – wait a little – it can take up to half an hour.

However, if you haven’t received the email for more than 30 minutes, check your spam folder, and if it’s not there, you have to whitelist [email protected] with your email provider. That should solve the issue.

Call Cuts After 40 Minutes

This is not a problem per se but a limitation built into the Zoom app. However, if you get the premium subscription, the conference can stretch for as long as you want.

Moreover, the free plan also does not allow you to record the meeting on the Cloud. Instead, you can record on your personal device, then upload the file to the Cloud, which is far from convenient.

So next time, you call cuts after 40 minutes, simply create a new meeting, or to avoid the issue upgrade to a premium plan.

Bottom Line

Zoom is definitely a savior in these troubles times and has been helping many to communicate efficiently. Next time you face an issue during a call, follow the instructions detailed above to ensure that all your virtual meetings and conferences go on without a glitch from here on.