In our September release, we added enhancements to Realtime Media Streams (RTMS) that give developers, users, and admins more control over how apps join and access meeting content.

These enhancements help app developers set up the right behavior for their apps from the moment they're installed, while keeping hosts and admins in control of how they're used.

The features give apps and users new controls and reduce friction:

• Granular auto-start options: Users can now choose which meetings an app joins automatically.
• Standing permissions: Meeting owners (and admins) can now approve participants' use of apps in their meetings.
• Configuration at app install: Auto-start settings, which are important for adoption, can now be set when an app is installed.
• Apps continue for meeting owners who leave: Apps used by meeting owners, such as team-focused notetakers or compliance tools, can now continue accessing meeting content when the owner leaves.

Install an app that uses RTMS, like our demo app, Arlo , to see how these controls work.

Choose which meetings your app joins#

Auto-start for RTMS lets users closely tie their apps to the meetings they join. Users don't need to remember to invite their apps. Apps can be notified when a user joins a meeting, including meetings that aren't on their calendar.

Users and apps might not want their apps in every meeting, so we've added controls for when an app is automatically invited.

In Zoom Apps settings , users can now configure apps to start automatically, or to request the host's approval to start, in:

• Meetings they own (host)
• Meetings they join that are hosted by someone on their account, such as a team meeting
• Meetings they join that are hosted by someone outside their account, such as a meeting hosted by a customer

An app like Winn.ai , an AI sales assistant, might want to join every meeting you host and the ones your customers host, but not internal meetings.

An app like World ID  might only want meeting hosts to auto-start the app, allowing it to use host permissions to prompt participants for proof of human verification.

Auto-start allows apps used by a meeting's owner to start when the meeting starts. In meetings hosted by someone else, auto-start sends a request to the host, who can approve or deny it. Apps that a host has set to Always allow can start automatically when the participant joins.

Choose permissions for participants before the meeting#

Meeting owners, including hosts and admins, can now set permissions for their meeting's participants to use apps in their meetings. They can set apps to Always allow or Always ask a host, with separate settings for internal and external participants.

This lets hosts and admins approve apps' access to meeting content before the meeting begins.

It also removes some of the biggest points of friction for apps in meetings. A host no longer needs to be in the meeting, or watch for a prompt, for a participant's app to start. Participants don't need to wait for approval every time they join a meeting. A host's or admin's approval of apps can now persist across meetings.

In Zoom version 7.2.0, we show a link to the host's settings, where they can set apps to Always allow. In future Zoom versions, we'll explore new ways for hosts to grant these persistent permissions directly when an app prompts them.

Combine these for frictionless, controlled media access#

Together, these two new settings allow for automatic and frictionless control over how apps access content in meetings for users.

Account admins can configure these settings for groups of users or for the entire account. This lets admins enable your app on behalf of users, simplifying adoption and removing friction from their workflows.

Here's how the settings might work for a few common types of apps:

• Sales assistants can auto-start in every meeting a rep hosts and every meeting they join that a customer hosts.
• Team notetakers can auto-start in meetings hosted on the account, with internal participants allowed to use them.
• Compliance and verification tools can be deployed by an account admin to auto-start in every meeting hosted on the account. This means meeting verification doesn't depend on one user's app settings.

Configure these settings when apps are installed#

Auto-start is a powerful tool for app adoption. Apps that just work are apps that get used. Previously, users needed to configure apps in their web settings after installing an app.

Now, auto-start options appear when an app is installed. Users can choose which meetings the app joins as part of the installation flow, so the app is ready for their next meeting without extra setup.

Admins get the same choices when they deploy an app to their account or to groups of users. They can set auto-start and participant permissions as part of the rollout, so the app is ready for users from their very first meeting.

Defaults are powerful, too. You can select the default auto-start behavior for your app, which will be presented as a suggested configuration when a user or admin installs it.

Continue when a meeting owner leaves#

We also heard from users that they want apps to have access to the entirety of a meeting they own, even if they have to leave. When a meeting owner leaves and transfers host permissions, their apps can now continue running with controls passed to the new host.

This matters most for apps that serve the meeting, not just the person who started them. Apps used by meeting owners can start as soon as a meeting begins and keep running through the end, even if the owner leaves early.

When a meeting's original owner needs to leave without ending the meeting, they can transfer host permission to a participant. The owner's app keeps running instead of stopping. Any host in the meeting can manage the app's media access, and your app can still use the REST API to manage the stream's status using the original owner's access token.

Use these controls in your app#

These controls are available now in the September release. To see how they work with your app:

• Install Arlo , our RTMS demo app, and try the new auto-start and permission settings.
• Share feedback or questions with us on the Zoom Developer Forum .

We're continuing to build on these controls, including new ways for hosts to grant standing permissions directly from an app prompt. We'd love to hear what would help your app's adoption next.