Zoom

Every issue, all time, most people first

1. Browser join option hidden, pushing users to download the appUnreviewed

   68 people since 2020, in 6 different years · 6 this year

   20102026
   • Pushed into downloading desktop apps by dark-pattern prompts instead of using the web2026-10-10
   • Browser version silently fails and keeps insisting on downloading the app2026-09-13
   • Pushed toward installing the desktop client by dark design patterns2026-09-12
   Something wrong here?

2. Meeting link needs several clicks, start button does nothing until browser option appearsUnreviewed

   18 people since 2020, in 4 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Clicking the meeting link needs several clicks, and the start button does nothing before the browser option appears2023-03-07
   • Microphone doesn't work in Firefox, so users must switch browsers or apps2022-08-13
   • Clicking chat moves the toolbar, so a second click triggers a recording request2021-12-23
   Something wrong here?

3. Screen sharing forces fullscreen, wasting seconds rearranging windows each timeUnreviewed

   12 people since 2020, in 5 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Meeting windows scatter across screens, making the screen-share button hard to find2024-03-28
   • Screen jumps to fullscreen when someone shares, and call end shows extra modal screens2023-08-08
   • Screen share auto-zooms to fullscreen, requiring a buried setting to stop it2023-08-08
   Something wrong here?

4. Forced to install unwanted software, then laggy video and poor soundUnreviewed

   11 people since 2017, in 6 different years · 1 this year

   20102026
   • Clicking meeting links also downloads duplicate installer copies each time2026-01-22
   • Clicking to open a meeting downloads the installer, which the commenter calls a dark pattern2023-02-13
   • Clicking to join a call automatically downloads installer with no option to stop it2022-08-13
   Something wrong here?

5. Mute button disappears during screen sharing, so it can't be foundUnreviewed

   7 people since 2020, in 4 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Participants can't figure out mute, screen share, chat or breakout rooms2024-10-17
   • Critical buttons like mute/unmute auto-hide, and the title bar behaves differently than expected2022-08-13
   • Can't tell at a glance if muted; controls hidden until mouse moves2022-05-19
   Something wrong here?

6. Zoom wrongly claims no mic access after muting, blocking unmutingUnreviewed

   7 people since 2020, in 4 different years · 1 this year

   20102026
   • Microphone not recognized until the app is closed and reopened repeatedly2026-02-03
   • Zoom crashes and can't select microphone unless Bluetooth profile is manually switched first2022-08-13
   • After being muted a while, Zoom wrongly claims no mic access and blocks unmuting2022-08-13
   Something wrong here?

7. Non-hosts must leave and rejoin to share screenUnreviewed

   7 people since 2020, in 3 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Screen sharing UI broken, unclear how to stop sharing, freezes when joining meetings2023-08-18
   • Hard to set screen sharing on by default; non-host must leave and rejoin to share2023-03-06
   • Screen sharing is degraded in Firefox, so people must switch to Chrome2021-12-23
   Something wrong here?

8. Joining without installing the client is limited and annoyingUnreviewed

   5 people since 2020, in 3 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Forced auto-update delays joining a meeting that already started, with no way to skip it2024-02-11
   • Must install or update the app before joining a meeting, delaying joining2022-08-13
   • Joining a meeting without installing the client is annoying and limited2020-08-28
   Something wrong here?

9. Latency and missing social cues make people talk over each otherUnreviewed

   4 people since 2020, in 4 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Audio latency makes people accidentally interrupt each other more often2024-05-27
   • Laggy audio and uneven volume make turn-taking and conversation unnatural2023-07-16
   • Remote interviews have bad, unstable audio and heavy lag causing messy interactions2021-06-06
   Something wrong here?

10. Must repeatedly choose between computer audio and phone audioUnreviewed

    4 people since 2019, in 2 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • Defaults assume audio, making sign-language meetings harder to set up2020-08-29
    • Audio setup forces users to repeatedly choose between computer audio and phone options2020-06-25
    • New users get the wrong speakers or microphone selected most of the time2020-03-23
    Something wrong here?

11. Settings are hard to navigate and findUnreviewed

    4 people since 2020, in 2 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • Settings are a mess, making the app hard to use2023-08-07
    • The UI is complicated, making it hard to navigate2020-08-29
    • UI is unintuitive and options are a mess, causing frequent confusion and errors2020-08-28
    Something wrong here?

12. No status shown for connection or meeting being joinedUnreviewed

    3 people since 2020, in 3 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • Must open join screen, reconnect Bluetooth headphones, then rejoin meeting2023-02-09
    • Hard to tell who is talking, who joined or left, and who is in the meeting2022-08-13
    • Won't show status of the connection or the meeting being joined2020-05-26
    Something wrong here?

13. Audio often stops, forcing users to leave and rejoin callsUnreviewed

    3 people since 2019, in 3 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • UI is confusing, and audio often stops working so users must leave and rejoin calls2021-12-22
    • Considerable UI glitches make joining calls awkward for non-technical people2020-06-25
    • Getting into a call takes minutes of idle time and fiddling with audio devices2019-08-27
    Something wrong here?

14. Believed they were muted but weren't, causing a hot micUnreviewed

    3 people since 2020, in 3 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • People can't tell whether they're muted, even regular users2023-02-13
    • User believed they were muted but was not, causing a hot mic2022-08-14
    • Some participants couldn't hear audio, with no clear reason or fix2020-07-30
    Something wrong here?

15. Basic meeting controls buried in menus until meeting startsUnreviewed

    3 people since 2022, in 3 different years · 1 this year

    20102026
    • Custom meeting controls lack accessibility labels, so automation can only blindly click2026-05-03
    • Basic meeting controls spread across many menus, only reachable after the meeting starts2023-03-06
    • Meeting-level options buried in user settings with confusing names2022-08-13
    Something wrong here?

16. Can't consistently see who is currently speakingUnreviewed

    3 people since 2017, in 3 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • Can't see who is on the call or who is speaking2023-11-23
    • Sound doesn't come from speaker's position, so listeners must search around to find who's talking2020-04-21
    • Can't consistently see who is currently speaking2017-01-30
    Something wrong here?

17. Chat lags 5 to 120 seconds and is slow to typeUnreviewed

    3 people since 2021, in 3 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • Chat lags 5-120 seconds and is slow to write compared to speaking2023-08-06
    • Scrolling and switching between chats takes seconds and causes flicker and jank2022-01-22
    • Chat window becomes so laggy that typed text appears after a delay2021-04-09
    Something wrong here?

18. Couldn't tell install finished, had to launch from browser linkUnreviewed

    3 people since 2020, in 2 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • Forced installer download and dark-pattern steps needed to reach browser launch option2022-08-13
    • Pushes users toward installing executables instead of using the browser2022-02-08
    • User couldn't tell the install had finished and had to launch from a browser link2020-03-31
    Something wrong here?

19. Must re-enter name every time because it isn't rememberedUnreviewed

    3 people since 2020, in 2 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • Forced app download and repeated name entry before joining a meeting2021-06-14
    • Has to re-enter name every time joining a meeting since it isn't remembered2021-01-11
    • Joining a meeting takes many redirects, repeated logins and re-entered details2020-05-26
    Something wrong here?

This list counts all time; the period switch above only changes the ranking. Each issue is a group of similar complaints raised by at least 3 people in 3 different months and threads. Each line under an issue is Claude Haiku's summary of one of its latest comments, not a quote; follow it to read the comment on Hacker News.