Zoom: Conference Calling

Zoom: Conference Calling

Using Zoom Phone conference call


Zoom Phone conference call allows three or more participants to join the same phone call simultaneously. Participants can be added to a conference via an extension, a phone number, a search in the contact list, or by merging a call that is on hold. By default the main company caller ID is used when generating a conference call, however the initiator can decide the caller ID to be used.

Limitations of Zoom Phone conference call

Zoom Phone conference call has the following limitations:

  • Zoom Phone Basic users can conference up to 3 participants.
  • Zoom Phone Pro users can conference up to 10 participants.
  • A conference call cannot be end-to-end encrypted if any of the participants did not join from the Zoom app.

How to make a conference call

Windows | macOS 

  1. Make a phone call.
  2. While on a call, on the keypad, click the Add Call .
  3. Enter the name or number of the person you want to add to your phone conference, then click the blue phone icon.
    When the caller picks up, their number will be displayed on the keypad screen and under the     Lines menu.
  4. On the right of the number you just called, click the merge icon , then select the on-hold phone number to add to the call.
    A notification will appear stating the number joined the call.
  5. (Optional) If the number you are calling is in your History tab, you can click the number directly to merge into your current call.
  6. (Optional) To drop a phone number from the call, to the right of Conference Call on your keypad, click the down arrow , then click the red phone icon of the desired phone number.
    Note: Only the initiator or the delegate of the call can drop a participant from the call.
  7. (Optional) You can review the list of more call controls for your conference call.

Notes:

  • You cannot park the call.
  • You cannot transfer the call to another phone number.

Android | iOS

  1. Make a phone call.
  2. While on a call, on the phone menu, tap Add Call .
  3. Enter the name or number of the person you want to add to your phone conference, then tap the blue phone icon.
    When the caller picks up, their phone number will be displayed at the top of the phone menu.
  4. To the right of the number you just called, tap the merge icon , then select the on-hold phone number to add to the call.
    A notification will appear stating the number joined the call.
  5. (Optional) If the number you are calling is in your History tab, tap the number directly to merge it into your current call.
  6. (Optional) To drop a phone number from the call, to the right of Conference Call on your phone number menu, tap the ellipsis , then tap the red phone icon of the desired phone number.
    Note: Only the initiator or the delegate of the call can drop a participant from the call.
  7. (Optional) Review the list of call controls for your conference call.

Notes:

  • You cannot park the call.
  • You cannot transfer the call to another phone number.


How to put participants on hold in multi-party conference calls

The conference host and co-host of a multi-party call can temporarily put one or all participants on hold. The host can toggle participants between being held or unheld. When a participant is on hold, they only hear the hold music (set at the account level) and cannot hear the main call. This enables hosts to have private conversations within a multi-party call. Hosts have options to start calls with all held, hold all at once, unhold all at once, hold individuals, and unhold individuals.


Put an individual participant on hold or off hold

Windows | macOS

  1. Make a conference call.
  2. Put an individual participant on hold or off hold in the following ways:
    • Use the Conference Call menu:
      1. To the right of Conference Call, click the down arrow .
        The list of users will appear.
      2. In the list, to the right of an individual user's name, click the Hold icon  to put only that user on hold.
      3. Access the user list again and click the Unhold icon  to put the user off hold.
    • Use the Lines menu:
      1. On the left side of your screen, click the Lines tab.
        The list of callers and the conference call will be displayed.
      2. To the right of Conference Call, click the ellipsis .
        A pop-up list of all the callers will appear.
      3. In the list, to the right of an individual user's name, click the Hold icon  to put only that user on hold.
      4. Access the caller list again and click the Unhold icon  to put the user off hold.

Android | iOS

  1. Make a conference call.
  2. Put an individual participant on hold or off hold in the following ways:
    • Use the Conference Call menu:
      1. To the right of Conference Call, tap the ellipsis .
        The list of users will appear.
      2. In the list, to the right of an individual user's name, tap the Hold icon  to put only that user on hold.
      3. Access the user list again and tap the Unhold icon  to put the user off hold.
    • Use the Lines menu:
      1. In the top-left corner of the keypad screen, tap the down arrow  to minimize the keypad screen.
      2. At the top of the screen, tap the Lines tab.
        The list of callers and the conference call will be displayed.
      3. To the right of Conference call, tap the ellipsis .
        The caller list will appear.
      4. In the caller list, to the right of an individual user's name, tap the Hold icon  to put only that user on hold.
      5. Access the caller list again and tap the Unhold icon  to put the user off hold.

Put all participants on hold or off hold

Windows | macOS

  1. Make a conference call.
  2. Put all participants on hold or off hold in the following ways:
    • Use the Conference Call menu:
      1. To the right of Conference Call, click the down arrow .
        The list of users will appear.
      2. At the bottom of the list, click Put all callers on hold.
        All callers will be placed on hold.
      3. After holding all participants, click the access the user list again and click Put all callers unhold.
        All callers will be off hold.
    • Use the List menu:
      1. On the left side of your screen, click the Lines tab.
        The list of callers and the conference call will be displayed.
      2. To the right of Conference Call, click the ellipsis .
        A pop-up list of all the callers will appear.
      3. In the list, click Hold all to put all participants on hold.
        All callers will be on hold.
      4. After holding all participants, access the caller list again and click Unhold all.
        All callers will be off hold.

Android | iOS

  1. Make a conference call.
  2. Put all participants on hold or off hold in the following ways:
    • Use the Conference Call menu:
      1. To the right of Conference Call, tap the ellipsis .
        The list of users will appear.
      2. At the bottom of the list, click Put all callers on hold.
        All callers will be placed on hold.
      3. After holding all participants, click the access the user list again and click Put all callers unhold.
        All callers will be off hold.
    • Use the Lines menu:
      1. In the top-left corner of the keypad screen, tap the down arrow  to minimize the keypad screen.
      2. At the top of the screen, tap the Lines tab.
        The list of callers and the conference call will be displayed.
      3. To the right of Conference call, tap the ellipsis .
        The caller list will appear.
      4. At the top of the caller list, tap Put all callers on hold.
        All callers will be placed on hold.
      5. In the Lines tab, access the caller list again and tap Put all callers unhold.
        All callers will be off hold.


How to automatically place merged callers on hold in a conference call

Windows | macOS

  1. Make a conference call.
  2. While on the phone call, on the keypad, click Add call .
  3. Enter the name or number of the person you want to add to the phone call, then click the blue phone icon.
    When the caller picks up, their number will be displayed on the keypad screen and under the Lines menu.
  4. Merge a caller and put them on hold in the following ways:
    • Use the keypad screen:
      1. On the keypad screen, to the right of the number you just called, click the Merge on hold button .
         The caller will join the conference call on hold.
    • Use the Lines menu:
      1. On the left side of your screen, click the Lines tab.
        The list of callers and the conference call will be displayed.
      2. To the right of a caller you want to merge into your conference call, click the Merge on hold button .
         The caller will join the conference call on hold.


Android | iOS

  1. Make a conference call.
  2. While on the phone call, on the keypad, tap Add call .
  3. Enter the name or number of the person you want to add to the phone call, then tap the blue phone icon.
    When the caller picks up, their number will be displayed on the keypad screen.
  4. Merge a caller and put them on hold in the following ways:
    • Use the keypad screen:
      1. On the keypad screen, to the right of the number you just called, tap the Merge on hold button .
         The caller will join the conference call on hold.
    • Use the Lines menu:
      1. In the top-left corner of the keypad screen, tap the down arrow  to minimize the keypad screen.
      2. At the top of the screen, tap the Lines tab.
        The list of callers and the conference call will be displayed.
      3. To the right of a caller you want to merge into your conference call, tap the Merge on hold button .
         The caller will join the conference call on hold.

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