How you can hold Otter from routinely recording your conferences

Otter.ai is without doubt one of the extra widespread machine-powered transcription apps — and it’s straightforward to see why. Its algorithms do job of transcribing speech, together with differentiating and figuring out the individuals talking. And should you use its Otter Assistant function, it would connect to your calendar and routinely transcribe Zoom, Groups, and Meet conferences which can be on that calendar — even should you don’t attend.

Whereas that might be helpful — in case your boss asks you what occurred at a gathering, you may have the information even should you have been taking part in Wordle on the time — it is also an issue. For instance, what should you forgot (or didn’t discover) that the automated perform was on, and it recorded a gathering that may include delicate info or was imagined to be personal? (There have been a number of on-line complaints about simply this.) Recording such a gathering isn’t simply impolite however would possibly break the foundations for the gathering — even should you didn’t notice what Otter was doing.

It’s doable that you’ll have enabled Otter Assistant with out realizing it. Again round February 2023, Otter launched the brand new function with a pop-up setup web page that invited you to allow Otter Assistant, which might routinely take notes for any Zoom, Meet, or Groups conferences in your calendar. It included a toggle that supplied to routinely share assembly notes with the individuals listed in your calendar occasion.

You could have enabled Otter Assistant with out realizing it. Picture: Otter.ai

If you happen to (like me) have been in a rush to attend a gathering, you’ll have shrugged, clicked on “Allow Otter Assistant,” and left it at that — with out realizing that you simply had simply given Otter permission to routinely document your whole conferences. (And should you didn’t untoggle the “share assembly notes” swap, you may need additionally gotten some puzzled emails from different assembly attendees.)

When you can’t take away Otter Assistant, you may simply disable it in numerous other ways. The very first thing to do is verify to see if Otter Assistant is linked to your calendar. Whether it is, then you may disconnect it. (Or join it, if that’s what you need.)

Disconnect Otter Assistant out of your calendar

Otter might be linked to a Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, or an iOS calendar. Right here’s learn how to verify in case your account is linked to one in all your calendars:

On a desktop

In your fundamental Otter web page, click on in your profile icon on the highest left of the web page. Click on on Account settings, and choose the Apps tab. On the backside of the webpage, you’ll see the Join calendars & contacts subhead. You’ll see subheads for Google and Microsoft.

If any of your calendars are linked to Otter, you may click on on the Disconnect hyperlink to disconnect that calendar from Otter.

If any of your calendars are linked to Otter, you will notice the e-mail related to that deal with beneath the suitable ecosystem. (For instance, a Gmail deal with might be below the Google subhead.) You’ll be able to then click on on the Disconnect hyperlink to disconnect that calendar from Otter.

After all, if you need Otter to routinely cowl a calendar occasion, it’s simply arrange by clicking Add subsequent to your most popular ecosystem on that very same web page. However there’s a neater approach to do it.

Hook up with a gathering from Otter’s homepage

You’ll be able to join your Google or Microsoft calendars or your Zoom conferences immediately from Otter’s homepage.

On the homepage, you’ll see a calendar on the fitting aspect with three buttons — Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, and Zoom Conferences — under it. Click on on the button for the service that you simply wish to connect with, and provides the required permissions.

A calendar in your Otter homepage allows you to join to numerous calendar companies.

Stop automated recording

In keeping with Otter’s help web page, when you’ve linked your calendar, then “by default, Otter Assistant will routinely be a part of your Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Groups conferences.” If you happen to don’t need it to routinely be a part of your conferences, you may disable that perform so that it’s going to solely document conferences should you allow it to.

On a desktop

As described above, go to the Account settings web page.This time, click on the Conferences tab.Underneath the Otter Assistant subhead, search for Auto-join all conferences, and toggle it to the Off place.

If you happen to don’t need Otter to routinely be a part of your conferences, you may disable that perform.

On a cellular system

Faucet the three parallel strains within the upper-left nook, after which faucet your ID field.Choose Assembly settings and search for Otter Assistant. Relying on whether or not you’re utilizing iOS or Android, the accessible options could range, however in each circumstances, you may toggle Auto-join all conferences on or off.

Use Otter Chrome extension

Otter has a Chrome extension that detects if you open a digital assembly hyperlink in your browser and provides to document, transcribe, and summarize your assembly every time your assembly begins through an automated pop-up window. If you wish to use Otter to document your conferences on demand fairly than routinely (and you employ a Chromium-based browser corresponding to Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge), this can be one of the simplest ways to do it.

As soon as you put in the extension, then if you begin a gathering with Google Meet or with Zoom (utilizing the Chrome browser), a pop-up will seem inviting you to “get automated assembly abstract” by enabling Otter Assistant.

The Chrome extension will end in a pop-up that permits you to allow Otter Assistant.

There are two or three various things you are able to do at this level:

You’ll be able to click on Add Otter Assistant to show the function on for this assembly and permit it to routinely document your assembly.You’ll be able to verify (or uncheck) a field that allows Otter Assistant to hitch all different conferences. (The primary time the field got here up for me, the field was checked, so concentrate should you don’t need it to be enabled for your whole conferences.)If you happen to’re utilizing Otter with Google Meet fairly than Zoom, you’ve got the choice to click on on Report on my system as an alternative so that you could manually document your assembly.

If you happen to use Meet and choose “Report on my system as an alternative,” you may then begin Otter manually.