This is a summary of Zoom posts I have blogged about over the past few weeks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are working from home using Zoom for video/audio conferencing. If you take some time, you can make the video meeting a smooth experience for all participants. The host of the Zoom meeting has the responsiblity to setup and run the meeting. By exploring the following blog posts, you can achieve your goal of hosting a successful meeting, making it easy for the participants to join the video conference and keeping the Zoom troll attacks at a minimum.
This if for a PCs and Macs browsers and smartdevices that support Zoom
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
Following are my blog links for a Zoom video/audio meeting:
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
For most users, battery life can last most all day on modern iOS devices. However, you can change some iOS 13 settings to maximize the most of your battery usage.
This is for iOS devices iPhone and iPad running iOS 13 and above. Some tips can be applied in earlier versions.
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
Disable Dynamic Wallpapers on Your iOS Device
Dynamic Wallpapers was a fun UI feature that was added to iOS 7, but it drains battery life. If you use Dynamic Wallpapers and experience issues with battery life, you might want to disable the app and pick a standard background image by following these steps:
Open the Settings app
Select Wallpaper > Choose a New Wallpaper > Stills
Select a solid color, then set it as the Home Screen background and Lock Screen background.
Note: Selecting the solid black wallpaper on an OLED screen will cause the device to use less power. Solid black pixels do not use power to display the screen.
Use Dark Mode on Your Device
Using Dark Mode can increase the battery life on OLED devices because it swaps out the white backgrounds for dark backgrounds that use less battery life as mentioned above. To enable Dark Mode follow these steps:
Open the Settings app
Select Display & Brightness
Change the Appearance from Light to Dark
Disable Raise to Wake
Raise to Wake was introduced with the iPhone X as a way to view the Lock Screen Notifications by raising your iPhone into portrait mode. This is a great feature, but it can cause your screen to turn on throughout the day and drain your battery life. To disable this feature, perform the following steps:
Open the Settings app
Navigate to Display & Brightness
Disable the option for Raise To Wake
With this feature disabled, you can still tap the screen to turn it on, but raising it will not cause the screen to turn on.
Disable Background App Refresh on Cellular
Background App Refresh is a great feature in iOS that allows apps to update in the background so that the next time you launch an app, everything is already loaded.
While you shouldn’t disable this feature for all apps, it’s good to review the apps that do use it and disable any that aren’t regularly used so they aren’t wasting battery life.
To check which apps are using Background App Refresh, follow these steps:
Open the Settings app
Navigate to General > Background App Refresh
Disable this feature for any apps in this list that aren’t frequently used
When Background App Refresh is disabled and you quit an app that’s in this list, it will no longer download data in the backgroud; instead, you must open the app for it to download new content.
Background App Refresh has a feature that allows apps to use it only when you’re connected to Wi-Fi, not when you’re running on cellular data. To enable Wi-Fi-only Background App Refresh, complete the following steps:
Open the Settings app
Navigate to General > Background App Refresh > Background App Refresh
Select Wi-Fi instead of the default Wi-Fi & Cellular
Ensuring that apps use Background App Refresh only when on Wi-Fi means it will not use battery-draining cellular data to perform the requests.
Disable Motion Effects on Your iOS Device
Disabling motion effects means that the cute animations throughout iOS and third-party apps won’t be as prominent, but if you can live without them, you can save battery life.
To disable motion effects, perform the following steps:
Open the Settings app
Navigate to Accessibility > Motion
Enable the option for Reduce Motion
Manage Bluetooth Connections on Your iOS Device
If you have multiple Bluetooth devices connected to your iOS device and are not using them, it may be a good opportunity to review the items and remove any you’re not currently using.
Follow these steps to review and remove Bluetooth devices:
Open the Settings app
Select Bluetooth, and tap the “i” next to the connected devices you wish to disconnect
Tap Forget This Device (or Disconnect), if available
You can also turn Bluetooth off completely by following these steps\:
Open the Settings app
Select Bluetooth
Toggle the switch to OFF
Manage Location Settings on Your iOS Device
Location and the use of GPS to track your device for various apps can be a huge battery hog, and iOS 13 includes a new way to manage these settings.
It’s worthwhile to manage your loccation settings in apps to ensure only those that need to use your location have access to do so.
To review and manage location tracking follow the below steps:
Open the Settings app
Select Privacy
Tap Location Services
You should check and control the location tracking for each individual app. Remember that disabling Location Services may hinder the apps functionally.
Place Your iPhone Face Down When Not in Use
This is more of a tip than a setting change. Starting with the iPhone 6, Apple made its iPhones so that if you turn one face down it will keep the screen from lighting up upon notifications, which helps prevent battery drain.
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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
Internet trolls are crashing Zoom video conferences and flooding them with inappropriate content. Here are some ways to stablize your meetings and keep Zoom running smoothly.
This if for a PCs and Macs browsers and smartdevices that support Zoom
opyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
1. Close All Running Apps
Before you start your video conference call or join the on-line meeting, save your work and close all running apps. Too many open apps will slow down your computer while you’re on a video call. This is because the call requires a lot of resources, especially if you’re on a lightweight laptop.
2. Check the Speed of Your Browser
Before your call, use a speed test tool, like Fast.com or Speedtest.net, to test your internet speed. If you’re not getting enough speed, move closer to your Wi-Fi router or try some other tips to boost your Wi-Fi signal. You can also use one of these tools to speed up your internet connection. Minimum bandwidth is 600 Kbps (up/down) and recommended is 1.5 Mbps (up/down). You may need to call your internet service provider and/or upgrade your equipment, which would be the best choice, if your equipment does not meet the minimum.
If you run both programs, you will notice a signifance difference in the speed test. This is due to the time of day you run the test, servers they are using and its location. Hopefully, your equipment exceeds the minimum speed for a Zoom meeting.
Below are my results in running Speedtest for Windows (Note that I greatly exceed the minimum):
Results in running SpeedTest on my browser
3. Test Your Audio and Video
You can also launch a test Zoom meeting anytime at zoom.us/test. This will launch a meeting where you are the only participant (you can invite others). This option lets you test your audio and video even if you don’t have the Zoom app installed.
See the article Joining A Test Meeting in the Zoom Help Center for more information about using the using the Zoom Test Meeting feature.
4. Mute Yourself When Not Speaking
When you’re in a video meeting with a lot of participants, it’s best to keep yourself muted. Only unmute yourself when you need to speak.
This eliminates any background noise on your end. Also, if anyone walks in the room and starts talking while you’re on a call, you won’t have to rush to find the mute button.
5. Never Use Your Personal Meeting ID
Each Zoom user has a personal meeting ID; think of it as your Zoom phone number. When creating a meeting, you can use your personal ID or generate a random one. You should always generate a random meeting ID.
If your personal meeting ID is leaked to the web, Zoom trolls are free to harass you with calls whenever they please.
6. Always Use a Meeting Password
For a video meeting other than a large classroom, town hall or lecture meeting, passwords should be turned on.
Make sure the password is kept safe. Zoom sends meeting passwords out to all invitees when invitations are sent. If you’re worried that someone unwanted may get the password, create the meeting without one set, update the meeting to add a password and send it out to invitees in a separate email or via another form of communication.
7. Set Join the Waiting Room Option
When you enable the waiting room for a Zoom meeting, each user who connects is put in a queue that the meeting host has to approve. If you don’t recognize someone in the waiting room, simply don’t let them in.
To enable this feature, navigate to Settings > In Meeting (Advanced), scroll down till you see the following option and toggle it to the On position. See below image:
Setting Join Waiting Room option
8. Set Meeting Options
Under Meetings > Schedule a Meeting, set the following options:
Video > Host to On
Video > Participant to Off especially if your participates are using older equipment
Audio set to Both
Meeting Options set Emable waiting room to On. Set Record the meeting automatically on the local computer should only be set to On for the host. You don’t want each particpant to be recording and viewing at the same time. If a participate wants a recording, the host can send the video via email or some other form of communication.
Always Save you changes. Refer to following image:
Setting other options
9.Turn Off Screen Sharing
Zoom trolls need to be able to visually take over a meeting to be effective. Preventing anyone from sharing their screen aside from the meeting host stops them from being able to go on the attack.
Under Settings > In Meeting (Basic), scroll down till you see the Show Zoom windows during screen share and set the following options:
Screen sharing, toggle to On
Who can share, toggle Host Only to On
Who can share when someone else is sharing, toggle Host Only to On
Always Save your changes. Refer to below image:
Setting screen share option
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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
If you don’t want to see your own face during a Zoom video meeting, here’s how to hide, unhide and tweak your video settings.
A lot of us used to working in offices have found ourselves working at home due to the outbreak of theCoronavirus and that means a lot of virtual meetings. Users new to Zoom’s desktop app may find it a bit odd when their face appears while speaking. If you want to hide your own video, adjust it so you don’t take over the screen or bring it back once it’s hidden, then this post is for you.
There are several options for hiding and unhiding videos during a Zoom meeting, both for yourself and other. Lets get started.
This if for a PC, Macs, iPhone/iPad and Android devices that support Zoom
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
Accessing Zoom Settings
First, fire up Zoom and join an active meeting. Then click on your small profile photo in upper right-hand corner. This will open up the dialog options window. From here, click on the Settings option. See below image:
Accessomg the Settings option
The Video Settings
Once you click on the Settings option, the Settings dialog window will be revealed. Now, click on the Video tab. The below image only shows some of the settings.
Note!The black area on the below screens would show your online video image.
The Video tab part one
The Video tab has numerous options for configuring video in meetings that will change the way Zoom handles all videos in a meeting. The below image shows the rest of the settings.
The Video tab part two
Hide/Unhide a Video
During a meeting, if you wish to hide your video from your own screen to make room for other participants, just right-click on your video and choose Hide Myself. If you want to bring your own video back onto your screen, just right-click on any other user and select Show Myself.
Note! This won’t disable your video from showing up for other participants; only from from your screen.
To disable your own video completely, you can select the checkbox in the Video Settings screen shown above that says Turn off my video when joining a meeting to disable it, or click the Stop Video button in a meeting to temporary turn it off for the video session.
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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
There is a way to have a Zoom web client meeting without the participates having to install the Zoom app. We are going to learn how to enable this option to make digital meetings even easier.
Zoom’s web client based system has many of the same features as the desktop app, but for users only needing to join meetings as participants it’s very useful. All a attendee has to do is click on the meeting invite link from the host and the web client will do the rest of the work.
There is a sticky problem in doing this type of meeting. The participtes joining a meeting without the app is not enabled by default. The host needs to turn this default on.
If you want your meeting attendees to be able to use the Zoom web client based system, you’ll have to start by logging into your Zoom account on Zoom’s website.
Note! We are NOT using the Zoom app; rather the Zoom web site program.
This if for a PCs and Macs browsers and smartdevices that support Zoom
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
Sign in or Sign up to Zoom
Open your browser and click here to sign in or sign up for Zoom. If the link does not work, with your browser open, type in https://zoom.us/signin in the search field. You will see the following screen for sign in or sign up. For my example, I have already signed up.
Sign in to Zoom web based client program
Once you’ve logged in, you should see your Profile screen:
Your Profile screen
Access the Settings Menu
Click on the Settings menu option. Refer to below image:
Accessing the Setttings
Now, click on In Meeting (Advanced) menu option. Refer to below screen:
Chosing the In Meeting settings option
Join Using Your Browser
Then scroll down until you see the following screen displayed. Look for the option labeled Show a “Join From Your Browser” link.
The Join a Meeting option
Now click the toggle switch to the On position. See below image:
Enabling Join a Meeting option
Schedule a Meeting
If you want to schedule a meeting at this time, click on the link SCHEDULE MEETING in the top menu bar. If you perfer to schedule a meeting later, you may want to set the following options as displayed on the next three screens. Refer to following image:
Selecting Schedule a Meeting option
Options for Scheduling a Meeting
There are two options you may want to enable. Select Schedule A Meeting>Meetings>My Meetings and scroll down till you see the option Video>Host which allows you to record a video of the meeting. Also, at the bottom, checkmark the option Record the meeting automatically on the local computer. You have the option to let the parcipates also record the meeting as well. It is recommended not to enable this option in order to save bandwidth during the on-line meeting. See following image:
Two Options to enable
Additionally, under the In Meeting (Basic) menu option, you can turn on a sound when particpates either join or leave a meeting by enabling the Play sound when participates join or leave toggle. See below image:
The Sound option to enable
Invitation to Join a Meeting
When a meeting attendee clicks on your invitation link to join a meeting they’ll have the option to download and install Zoom or Start From Your Browser. Tell your attendees to select the latter option, install the plugin for your browser and follow the on-screen instructions. Refer to below image:
The participate invitation to Join a Meeting screen
There are fewer options, buttons and clicks required to join a meeting using the web client based Zoom, so hopefully it will eliminate some of the confusion that comes with using Zoom. Remember you are using your web browser to join a Zoom meeting, NOT the Zoom app on a smartdevice or the Zoom program on a PC or Mac.
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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
Facebook’s new website interface change is not well known. At some point, it will probably be the new standard. The interface is getting a visual overhaul that almost everyone can access. You can now update to this brand new, less cluttered design with the click of a button. If you don’t like the change, you can easily switch back to the classic interface.
This if for a desktop/laptop, Macs and smartphones supporting Facebook
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
Enabling the New Interface
Note! This post relates to a PC, other devices will be similar. If you don’t see the new Facebook option then Facebook has yet to rollout the change to your device.
Fire up your device and log in to your Facebook account.
Next, click on the down arrow in the top-right corner of the interface. Select the Switch To New Facebook option. The page will refresh and the new interface design will load. Refer to below image:
Switch to the new Facebook option
A welcome message will appear the first time that you switch to the new Facebook design. Facebook claims that the redesign has faster loading time, cleaner look and bigger text. Additionally, Facebook now includes a dark mode that you can enable whenever you want.
Additionally, this update comes with a user-friendly redesign of the Groups tab and an overhaul of the News Feed. See below image:
The Welcome message for the new interface
Simply click the Next button. You will see the following image allowing you to select how yout interface will look.
Selecting your interface look
Just click the Get Started button. That’s it, you are all set with the new desktop interface. If you aren’t a fan of the Dark mode, you can switch back to Light whenever you like.
Switching Back to the Classic Interface
Once you’ve enabled the new interface, you can always revert the change from your Facebook account’s front page. Just click on the down arrow in the top-right and then select Switch To Classic Facebook. See following image:
Reverting back to the Classic interface
At some point in the future, Facebook may decide to roll out the new design permentally for all platforms. If so, reverting back to the classic interface will no longer be an option.
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Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
If you’re running iOS 13 or higher, you can directly ask Siri to play your favorite playlist, song or an artist on Spotify. iOS 13+ expands third-party support for Siri which now includes Spotify. This means you can get Apple Music style playback controls with Siri on your iPhone. Here’s how to set it up.
If you already have the Spotify app installed, and you’re logged into your account, all you have to do is start talking to Siri. Say “Play the Beatles on Spotify”.
This is for iPhone or iPad running iOS 13 or above
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
Enable Spotify Access to Siri
As this is your first time using Spotify with Siri, it will ask for permission to access your Spotify data. Simpily tap the Yes button. Refer to below image:
Giving permission to access Spotify
Spotify will start playing the music you requested. You’ll see a Now Playing widget playback control on the Siri screen.
You can also control the Siri access for Spotify from your iPhone.
Open Settings
Select Spotify
Select Siri & Search. See following image:
Accessing Siri and Search
At the bottom of the screen, toggle on the Use with Ask Siri feature to enable Siri access for Spotify. Refer to below image:
Toggle on the Use with Ask Siri
Control Spotify on Using Siri
Once Spotify is connected to Siri, you can use it to play any song, album, artist or playlist. You can also get specific about albums and years of release.
Below are some Spotify commands you can use with Siri:
Play [song name] on Spotify
Play [album name] on Spotify
Play [artist name] on Spotify
Play on Spotify
Play my liked songs on Spotify
Shuffle on Spotify
Play the latest album by [artist name] on Spotify
Play [genre] music on Spotify
Other than these, you can use the standard playback controls in Siri as well. For instance, you can ask Siri to play, pause, skip, repeat, shuffle or go to the previous track. Refer to below image:
The playback control
On your iPhone, you can also open Spotify and see what is playing at the bottom of the screen. See below image:
Accessing Spotify to see what is playing
The following image is an example of using the Spotify command Play Easy Listening on Spotify:
Listening to Easy Listening on Spotify
For now, Siri only supports playback features in Spotify. You can’t use Siri to interact with the app. For instance, you can’t search for something like a song in Spotify using Siri. You also can’t use Siri to add a song to a playlist either.
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Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
Why take notes during a Zoom meeting when you can refer back to a recording of the entire call? Here’s how to record a Zoom meeting, whether you’re the host or not.
Important meetings need good records, and anyone who has taken notes knows that some details can be missed. The best way to preserve a record of a meeting is to have a video recording.
That goes doubly for remote meetings, where distractions, tech issues and other problems can lead to you missing out on essential information.
If you are using an Enterprise account to host a meeting, you may not be able to record a Zoom meeting unless your IT team has given you permission. Be sure to check with your administrator before the meeting to grant you access if you don’t have it.
If using a PC or Mac, be sure your computer has a microphone and/or camera to use Zoom to its fullest. You may also use your smartphone to record the meeting.
This if for a PC, Macs, iPhone/iPad and Android devices that support Zoom
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
Accessing Zoom Settings
First, fire up Zoom and join an active meeting. Then click on your small profile photo in upper right-hand corner. This will open up the dialog options window. See below image:
Zoom dialog Options window
Recording a Zoom Meeting
Next, click on the Settings option. The Settings options will be displayed. The Record video during screen sharing option should be checkmarked. Also, at the top of the screen is the location where your video will be stored upon completion. This folder was created when you installed Zoom. Refer to below image:
Settings options for recording a video
By default, only the meeting host can record the meeting, but it’s easy to grant other participants the ability to do so. The meeting host can do so by clicking on Participants while in a meeting, looking for the More button next to an individual’s name and selecting Allow Record.
Once in a meeting, those wanting to record only need to click the Record button to start capture, at which point the Record button will change into two buttons: One to Pause the recording and one to Stop recording.
When you’re done recording video, Zoom stores it temporarily in the location mentioned above. The video is encoded into MP4 format once the meeting has ended.
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Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
During our time of social distancing, you can still reach out to your friends or relatives using FaceTime video or audio on your iPhone or iPad.
You can use FaceTime over Wi-Fi or over cellular on iOS 12.1 or later devices. Also, you need an iPhone 6s or later. FaceTime supports up to 32 people simultaneously.
This is for iPhone or iPad
Turn on FaceTime
Open the FaceTime app and sign in with your Apple ID. You can also do this from Settings > FaceTime
If you’re using an iPhone, FaceTime automatically registers your phone number. To also register your email address on your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > FaceTime> Use your Apple ID for FaceTime and sign in with your Apple ID.
Make a FaceTime Call
To make a FaceTime call, you need the person’s phone number or registered email address. There are a few ways to make a FaceTime call:
In the FaceTime app, tap the plus button and type the person’s phone number or email address. Tap the number or address, then tap Audio or Video
If you have the person’s phone number or email address saved in your Contacts, you can start typing their name and tap the name when it appears. Then tap Audio or Video
You can also start a FaceTime video call from your iPhone during a phone call. Tap the FaceTime icon in the iPhone app to switch to FaceTime.
Now you don’t have to be alone, you can reach out to people using your Apple smart devices.
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Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help me out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
Do you get frustrated when your smart device switches to landscape from portrait mode (or vice versa) when you don’t want it to? There is a way to prevent this behavior through Orientation Lock.
This is for iOS devices iPhone and iPad running iOS 7 and above
Set the Lock
To do this, launch the Control Center by one of the following ways:
1. iPhone 10 and above – Swipe down from upper right hand corner
2. iPhone 8 or earlier – Swipe up from bottom of screen
See below image:
The Orientation Lock screen
Tap the Orientation Lock icon (the one with an open lock and a curved arrow) to set the lock to its current position. A brief message will appear at the top to confirm the lock and the icon will be highlighted. Refer to following image:
Turning on the Orientation Lock
Swipe to close Control Center
Verify the Lock
Launch the Control Center. A small lock icon will be displayed in the Status Bar next to the Battery Level icon. See following image:
Verifying the Orientation Lock is on
Swipe to close Control Center
Turn Off the Lock
Launch the Control Center
Tap the Orientation Lock icon
A brief message will appear at the top to confirm the lock is turned off and the icon will no longer be highlighted. See following image:
Turning off the Orientation Lock
Swipe to close the Control Center
Note!Not all apps support screen rotation. Some apps only work in portrait or landscape mode. This is particularly true of some games and video apps. For those apps, your screen rotation settings don’t matter. The app will only display in the orientation it supports.
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Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer tech or smart device question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath
and type the person’s phone number or email address. Tap the number or address, then tap Audio 
or Video 
Tech Savvy Life 