Zoom update now lets you transcribe calls in real time

Conference calls could be about to get a lot easier to remember thanks to a new partnership from Zoom.

The video conferencing service has announced it now integrates with transcription service Otter.ai, which means that calls can now be transcribed in real time.

“At a time when most meetings, events, and classes are “going virtual”, remote workers and students increasingly struggle to listen and pay attention while taking notes. Now more than ever, businesses and schools need tools that can capture information accurately and make accessible immediately,” wrote Simon Lau, VP of Product at Otter.ai.

Zoom transcription

To activate the function during a Zoom meeting, users just need to click the “Otter.ai Live Transcript” button within their chat window. This will take them to the Live Video Meeting Notes page on Otter.ai’s site to view the transcription.

The service also allows users to annotate their notes in real-time, allowing for collaborative note-taking among all the participants on the call to share opinions and ideas.

Live Video Meeting Notes is a paid feature included in the Otter for Teams plan, with no additional per-minute fees. Users will need to get their Zoom administrator to pre-approve Otter in the Zoom marketplace and allow live streaming in Zoom, before approving live streaming in their chat window themselves.

The partnership may help entice users back to Zoom following a number of security issues in past weeks.

The company recently unveiled Zoom 5.0, with the update offering a number of welcome upgrades including a number of security enhancements such as support for AES 256-bit GCM encryption and more control over meetings.