There is no doubt that the year 2020 belongs to video calling apps. Software like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet have seen skyrocketing downloads and usage. Many people today use Zoom to give job interviews, attend seminars, music concerts, keep in touch with friends and family, and more. In an important meeting on Zoom, you need to track the time and duration of the Zoom session.
The meeting duration feature is useful for those who want to keep track of time for a Zoom meeting. For example, teachers can watch the duration for 30 minutes or 45 minutes and then cancel today’s lecture on Zoom. You can also keep an eye on the duration of the Zoom conference.
By default, Zoom does not display meeting duration in the app. You need to enable the option from the Settings app. One can also use third-party apps to activate the timer during Zoom meetings.
In this article, we will show how to use meeting duration activation in Zoom and other tricks. Let’s start.
Show Meeting Duration in Zoom Deskstop
As I mentioned earlier, Zoom does not enable meeting duration by default. So you depend on either alarm, reminder or manual guess to check meeting duration. However, Zoom has added an option to enable meeting duration in the app. Follow the steps below.
Step 1: Open the Zoom app on Windows or Mac.
2nd step: Tap the profile icon in the upper right corner and go to Settings.
Step 3: Go to General > Show my meeting duration and enable the option.
Now whenever you host a Zoom meeting, you will notice the meeting duration in the top right corner.
Let me be clear. The duration function is only activated on your side. This means that you, as a host or participant, can see the meeting duration in a Zoom session. Other users will not be able to see the same from their side. You may be able to share this post with others or guide them by following the same steps above.
Enable Meeting Duration in Zoom Mobile Apps
Due to its cross-platform availability, Zoom is also famous on the small screen. Users who do not have access to the desktop at all times prefer the Zoom mobile app to join a meeting. If you follow the defined category, follow the steps below to enable Zoom meetings on Android or iOS.
Note: Zoom Android and iOS apps have the same user interface and they are identical in feature set. The screenshots below are from the Zoom iOS app, but you can follow the same steps on the Android app to enable meeting duration.
Step 1: Open Zoom app on iPhone/Android.
2nd step: Go to Settings in the bottom tab.
Step 3: Go to Meeting and scroll down from the next menu.
Step 4: Enable the Show my login time option. The option will show the elapsed time in the meeting.
Now come back to host or join a Zoom meeting, and you will notice the meeting duration in the upper right corner.
The timer trick is useful for users of Zoom’s basic plan (which most of us use). Zoom offers a free version – which almost none of its competitors do – even allowing users to host up to 99 members and chat with them for 40 minutes.
Show meeting controls in Zoom
You may have noticed that while in a Zoom meeting in progress, the meeting controls automatically hide and it can become irritating when you want to access important meeting controls such as Zoom screen sharing, Zoom Mute, Reactions, etc. Below are the steps to fix meeting commands in Zoom.
Step 1: Open the Zoom app on the desktop.
2nd step: Tap the profile menu and go to Settings.
Step 3: Go to General.
Step 4: Enable the Always show meeting controls option.
From now on, you will see fixed meeting controls in the Zoom app. Alternatively, you can master Zoom hotkeys to access important Zoom options during the video call.
As expected, you can also enable fixed meeting controls on the mobile app. But I won’t recommend doing this on the small screen to eat up significant screen real estate during Zoom meetings.
Zoom Meetings Master
Tracking time during meetings is of the utmost importance in order to make the most of the limited time everyone is investing. It helps you wrap up your meetings before the 40 minutes are up. Besides, you can also use this saved time to manage other activities. Have you enabled the duration timer in Zoom meetings? How do you use the function on Zoom? Share your Zoom routine in the comments section below.
Next: Skype is another video calling app that can compete with Zoom. Read the comparison post below to find out which service is right for you.
