Troubleshooting Notetaker

The host has disabled local recordings for the Zoom meeting. Learn more about the Zoom requirements for Notetaker. 

The host has denied Notetaker from recording the meeting. Learn more about the Zoom requirements for Notetaker. 

Depending on the meeting settings, participants may not be able to join the meeting until the host joins. In that situation, Notetaker will not be able to join the meeting. Notetaker will wait up to 5 minutes and try up to four times before leaving the meeting. 

We recommend reaching out to the host and having them enable allow attendees and participants to join the meeting before the host: 

• Zoom - Allow participants to join before host
• Google - Allow participants to join before host
• Microsoft Teams - Allow participants to join before host

Please reach out to the host of the meeting and ensure they allow Notetaker to join the meeting. Your host may have set up a waiting room and did not admit Notetaker into the meeting, or removed Notetaker right at the beginning of the meeting. 

Notify the host Notetaker is joining the meeting

You can notify the host 24 hours in advance that Notetaker will be joining the meeting to ensure they will admit Notetaker to the meeting. Manage your settings in Account Settings > Meetings. 

Other recommendations

While meeting platform settings may differ, we recommend the following settings if the option is available:

• Allow participants to join before host
• Turn off waiting room

The host may have set up a waiting room and did not admit Notetaker into the meeting. Notetaker will continue to attempt to join the meeting for about 12 minutes and then leave the meeting. During the meeting, check to see if any members are waiting to be let into the meeting. 

A meeting may require a host to approve participants to join. If you are not the host, please make sure you have alerted the meeting host to allow Notetaker to join. 

• Google Meet waiting room management
• Zoom waiting room management
• Microsoft Teams waiting room management

Notify the host Notetaker is joining the meeting

You can notify the host 24 hours in advance that Notetaker will be joining the meeting to ensure they will admit Notetaker to the meeting. Manage your settings in Account Settings > Meetings. 

Other recommendations

While meeting platform settings may differ, we recommend the following settings if the option is available:

• Allow participants to join before host
• Turn off waiting room

Notetaker is not able to join meetings where the host has required the user to sign into the conferencing app. Notetaker will not be able to sign into the meeting platform to join. The meeting must allow external guests for Notetaker to successfully join. 

• Zoom required authentication

Otter currently supports Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams meeting URLs. Check if your meeting is associated with one of the supported platforms by navigating to the meeting event on your home page calendar.

Supported meetings will indicate the [platform icon] + [Join meeting], as well as the blue Notetaker toggle ( highlighted green ) . Regular calendar events without a supported link will not show an option for Notetaker to record ( highlighted orange ).

Conferencing URL is not valid

1. Copy your meeting URL and navigate to the Otter homepage.
2. In the upper corner, paste the meeting URL into the Paste meeting URL to record field.
3. If your meeting URL is not valid, you’ll see the message Conferencing URL is not valid.
   

Valid meetings will show Notetaker attempting to join the meeting on the homepage calendar.

Meeting URL format

Review your meeting URL and ensure there are no typos if you manually create the event. The URL should reflect some variation of the meeting platform, meeting ID, and password. 

To verify your meeting link, copy your meeting URL and open an incognito browser window. Paste and launch the URL to see if it successfully launches to the meeting (e.g. launch window for Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams).

If the provided meeting credentials, such as the meeting ID or password, are incorrect or invalid, Notetaker won’t be able to join the meeting. It’s important to double-check and ensure that the correct meeting details are entered. 

Embed passcode

Make sure your meeting URL includes the password. Notetaker will not be able to join your meeting without the embedded password if your meeting platform requires it. 

E.g. The URL should reflect some variation of the meeting platform, meeting ID, and password.

• Zoom embed passcode

If the meeting URL is scheduled for a time in the future, Notetaker will not be able to join the meeting as it has not started yet. This currently affects Zooms, but may also be applicable to other meeting platforms (e.g. Google Meet and Microsoft Teams). 

• The meeting takes place on a future date and thus Zoom will not start the meeting. 
• Zoom generates this error for meetings that were scheduled in the past and will not initiate the meeting.

Generate a new conferencing URL for the present meeting and add it to the calendar event, to sync over the new updated event. 

Contact the host of the meeting to verify scheduled times and notify them of Notetaker joining the meeting.

Some meeting platforms have limitations on the number of participants or concurrent meetings. If the meeting platform has reached its capacity or if there are restrictions on the number of participants, Notetaker may fail to join the meeting. Please reach out to the host and have them confirm the maximum number of participants.

My meeting has not reached its capacity, but I’m still seeing this message?

The error is likely on the meeting platform’s side. You will want to report and file a support ticket directly with the platform to have them investigate why your meeting is encountering a maximum attendee message. 

• File with Zoom
• File with Google Meet
• File with Microsoft Teams

Manually add Notetaker

As a workaround, try manually adding Notetaker using the meeting link.

1. Copy your meeting URL and navigate to the Otter homepage. 
2. In the upper corner, paste the meeting URL into the Paste meeting URL to record field.
   
3. Paste your URL and click Enter/Return or the microphone icon on the right.
   

Please reach out to the host of the meeting and ensure they allow Notetaker to join the meeting. Your host may have set up a waiting room and did not admit Notetaker into the meeting, or removed Notetaker right at the beginning of the meeting. 

Notify the host Notetaker is joining the meeting

You can notify the host 24 hours in advance that Notetaker will be joining the meeting to ensure they will admit Notetaker to the meeting. Manage your settings in Account Settings > Meetings.

Other recommendations

While meeting platform settings may differ, we recommend the following setting` if the option is available:

• Allow participants to join before host 
• Turn off waiting room

Notetaker will not be able to join your meeting automatically if the event does not sync to Otter. Review your home page calendar to make sure all of your events are properly synced over. 

If you recently added a new event to your calendar and do not see it synced over, click the resync button at the top of the calendar section. If you continue to see that your event is not syncing over, review our calendar troubleshooting guide. 

Notetaker will leave the meeting if silence is detected during a meeting for up to 12 continuous minutes. If a meeting is running beyond its scheduled time, the silence threshold is reduced to 5 minutes. 

Check your microphone and see if other participants are able to hear the audio. Check the Otter conversation to see when it stopped transcribing. If you are seeing issues with the conversation, reach out to our Otter Support Team. 

There may be multiple reasons why Notetaker was not able to join your Microsoft Teams meeting. 

• Error may be due to Microsoft servers. Check Microsoft’s status page for the most up-to-date info.
• URL may not be valid. To verify, copy your meeting URL and open an incognito browser window. Paste and launch the URL to see if it successfully launches Microsoft Teams. 

If you are still encountering issues with Notetaker joining your Microsoft Team’s meeting, reach out to our Otter Support Team. 

The transcription recording limit is 4 hours. Once the limit has been reached, Notetaker will stop recording and transcribing the conversation. 

If your meeting continues past 4 hours, manually add Notetaker again to the meeting to start a new recording. 

Check if your meeting has a password. If so, make sure your meeting URL includes the password. Notetaker will not be able to join your meeting without the embedded password if your meeting platform requires it. 

E.g. The URL should reflect some variation of the meeting platform, meeting ID, and password.

• Zoom embed passcode

Alternatively, the host can create a meeting room that does not require a password or passcode to enter. 

There may be conferencing system errors that Notetaker is not able to resolve. If you encounter any of the following error messages, please contact our Otter Support Team. 

• Otter failed while transcribing meeting

• Otter was unable to join your meeting

• Zoom restarted while joining your meeting

• Otter failed to stream meeting audio, retrying

• Otter is unable to customize your Otter participant

• Otter is unable to listen to your meeting audio

• Conferencing App restarted while joining your meeting

• Otter missed the transcription window of your meeting

• Otter left your meeting pre-maturely, we are investigating

• Otter.ai was unable to join the meeting

• Otter is unable to enter your email to join

• Otter re-enabled audio

• Otter is prevented from joining your meeting at the moment

• Otter was unable to launch Zoom

• Otter was unable to authenticate Zoom user

• Otter is unable to communicate with Zoom

• Otter lost connection to the meeting

• Your Notetaker waited too long for client to ask it to transcribe meeting

• Otter was unable to launch Zoom

• Meeting ended for unknown_reasons, transcription was successful

• Otter encountered an issue with your meeting invitation

• Conferencing system is reporting that this meeting does not exist

• Conferencing URL link missing

• Notetaker sends a message in the video meeting chat to share the live transcript and summary.
• You can disable the Notetaker meeting chat feature anytime. To disable this feature:
  1. Navigate to Account Settings > Meetings.
  2. Under the Notetaker chat messages section, toggle OFF Send live transcript and summary.
     
• After making this change, Notetaker will continue to transcribe your meetings but won’t send messages in the video meeting chat.