Zoom Fixes macOS Bug Causing Microphones to Stay On After Meetings

Zoom app

Zoom is recommending Mac users to update the app to fix a bug causing microphones to stay on after meetings have ended. Mac users have been complaining about the issue since December, and Zoom has acknowledged the problem last week following a first report from The Register.

“We experienced a bug relating to the Zoom client for macOS, which could show the orange indicator light continue to appear after having left a meeting, call, or webinar. This bug was addressed in the Zoom client for macOS version 5.9.3 and we recommend you update to version 5.9.3 to apply the fix,” the company explained on the Zoom Community website.

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The version 5.9.3 of Zoom for macOS was released on January 24, 2022, but many Zoom users who were probably unaware of the update were still complaining about the microphone issue on Zoom’s community forum this month. If the Zoom client does have an automatic update feature, Mac users are invited to manually check for updates by clicking on their profile picture and then selecting “Check for Updates.”

If Zoom remains one of the most popular video conferencing app on the market, it doesn’t exactly have a great track record regarding privacy. Two years ago, a report revealed that the Zoom iOS app was secretly sending data to Facebook, even for users who didn’t have a Facebook account.

If this microphone issue on the macOS client legitimately raised some eyebrows, Zoom has since shared a reassuring statement with The Verge. “Zoom has determined that this bug did not result in audio data being transmitted back to Zoom’s platform. As always, we recommend users make sure their Zoom client is updated to the latest version.” Zoom spokesperson Matt Nagel told The Verge.

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Conversation 7 comments

  • wright_is

    Premium Member
    14 February, 2022 - 6:05 am

    <p>I’ve only used Zoom once, for a press interview, the video didn’t work to start with, but eventually managed to get it working. I had to disconnect the camera and plug it back in again, before Zoom would recognise it.</p><p><br></p><p>I also got to use Amazon Chime for one presentation, that was interesting as well. I’ve never seen that mentioned anywhere.</p><p><br></p><p>From a privacy front, I prefer BBB (Big Blue Button), but I am stuck with Teams at work.</p>

    • ivarh

      Premium Member
      15 February, 2022 - 2:13 am

      <p>Work is using zoom for remote supporting customers and teams for internal communication. Guess MS don’t understand that making a personal teams version is just going to guarantee that people using teams at work is not going to use the personal version :)</p><p><br></p><p>I do run all my support sessions from my MacBook and I have upgraded to the latest version from zoom but after using it for the first sine a reboot makes the orange dot stay on. However, I suspect this is a bug in the OS since the control centre shows zoom using the microphone while zoom is active but when I exit the zoom client the orange dot stays but the control centre does not say anything is using the microphone. </p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

      • wright_is

        Premium Member
        15 February, 2022 - 2:22 am

        <p>I’ve always used TeamViewer or vnc for remote support. At my current employer, we use TeamViewer, which, with the management tools, make it a very nice solution. Also the custom, branded client is a nice touch – add you logo and slogan to the the install package, so your customers know who to call…</p>

  • bluvg

    14 February, 2022 - 11:04 am

    <p>"it doesn’t exactly have a great track record regarding privacy. Two years ago"</p><p><br></p><p>Not trying to defend Zoom here, but they’ve come a long way from where they were two years ago.</p><p><br></p>

  • igor engelen

    14 February, 2022 - 11:27 am

    <p>Sometimes I just have to use it while working from home but it’s one of those apps that I immediately close/quit after use.</p>

  • jdjan

    Premium Member
    14 February, 2022 - 11:37 am

    <p>The orange dot indicator in MacOS has some detractors (DJs, artists etc) but this sort of thing really underscores why it’s important to have a visual warning when your computer is listening/watching you. Yes – this was ‘just’ an inadvertent bug, but hard coding this feature into the OS meant that it was caught pretty quickly and fixed. It won’t help if the OS has been compromised, but it is at least a first-line of defense against poorly written software.</p>

  • javial

    Premium Member
    26 February, 2022 - 8:36 am

    <p><br></p>

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