How to use Zoom and create a meeting or video call step by step

Just take a look at the rankings of the major app stores to realize that the video calling app, as Zoom, have undergone one of the largest increases in its history, due to the measures of social distancing and confinement that various governments around the world have decided to carry out.

Among all of them, there are mainly of them the two. The first is Houseparty, whose history we only talked about some time ago. The second, on the other hand, is a tool intended for a slightly more professional environment, which in recent weeks has become the preferred application for holding meetings, video conferences and even online lessons. It is about Zoom.

What is Zoom?

Although the popularity of the app has rebounded in recent weeks, the truth is that Zoom it was already a well-known tool among the professional audience. Companies at the level of Uber, Rakuten, Box or TicketMaster, among many others, have already used it as a utility to hold video conferences and meetings since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

And is that Zoom is a tool that further enhances videoconferencing. In addition to allowing video chats, workrooms, phone calls and even "bot" support with which to get even more from the application. It is therefore not surprising that given its versatility it has become one of the platforms most used by companies that promote telework, that is, those educational centers that teach lessons at a distance.

As for the app itself, you need to comment on that has clients for both desktop platforms and mobile operating systems, including, of course, an app for Android devices. Among its functions, there is the possibility of carrying out video calls up to 1.000 participants and up to 24 hours in duration, with group rooms, integrated chat service and much more. To enjoy all the functions, of course, you will need to choose one of the platform's payment plans:

Zoom lets you schedule meetings in advance or create video calls instantly. Now we will see how to do it.

How to make a meeting with Zoom

Although a priori it may seem a rather complex and difficult to use application due to its predominantly professional approach, Zoom in really a very simple app to use in any of its different versions, both from the website and via desktop client and mobile devices. Below we detail the procedure to follow for start a group video meeting using Zoom, both from our Android smartphone or tablet, and from a computer.

From the phone

Regardless of the device you will be using, you need to remember that you can join a meeting in Zoom without having to create an account. However, if the idea is to use this tool as your default video conferencing app and you want to get the most out of it, it might be advisable create an account or log in using our Google or Facebook profile. However, once you have downloaded and installed the app on your mobile from the Google Play Store, these are the steps to follow:

1. Open the application and, on the home screen, tap "Join a meeting" in case you have received a meeting ID you want to join.
2. If you don't have a meeting ID, you need to register or log into the platform.
3. After logging in, you'll see the app's home screen, which includes options like creating a new meeting, joining an existing one, scheduling a video conference, or sharing your screen. You can also add contacts.
4. Tap the orange "New meeting" icon, then tap "Start a meeting"
5. Once the meeting has started, you can invite other attendees by tapping the "Attendees" section. You can also share files, activate or deactivate the audio and the camera, or access the meeting settings to modify its parameters.
6. If you want to invite other people outside of your Zoom contact list, tap «Attendees» -> «Invite» -> «Copy Website Address» and share the copied link with the people you want to join.
7. To end or leave the meeting, tap the red “End” text at the top right of the screen.

From the computer

The process of using Zoom from your computer it's not much more difficult. You just have to make sure of download and install the "Zoom Client for Meetings" that the company offers on its website. Once installed, you just need to follow these steps:

1. Open Zoom and click "Join a meeting" if you have a meeting ID you want to join. If not, click on «Login».
2. Click on the orange «New meeting» button.
3. Once inside the meeting, you can invite other participants by clicking on the «Attendees» section. You can also share files, activate or deactivate the audio and the camera, or access the meeting settings to modify its parameters.
4. If you want to invite other people outside of your Zoom contact list, click «Invite» -> «Copy URL» and share the copied link with the people you want to join the video call.
5. To end or leave the meeting, click on the red "End" text at the bottom right of the screen.

Remember that Zoom offers cool features such as the ability to record meetings for later viewing or put a virtual background on video calls.