Have you ever been in a meeting, diligently taking notes, only to realize that Otter.ai has silently joined and is transcribing everything? While Otter.ai is an incredibly useful tool for many, its automatic presence can sometimes be unwanted or even raise privacy concerns. If you're looking to regain control over your meeting privacy and prevent Otter.ai from automatically joining your virtual sessions, you've come to the right place!
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the various methods to stop Otter.ai from joining your meetings, whether you're an individual user or a meeting host. We'll cover steps for different platforms and provide tips to ensure your meetings remain private and secure.
Step 1: Identify the Source of Otter.ai's Intrusion
Before we dive into solutions, let's understand why Otter.ai might be joining your meetings automatically. This typically happens due to one of a few reasons:
Calendar Integration: Otter.ai is often integrated with your calendar (Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar) and is set to automatically join any meeting links it finds. This is the most common culprit for unexpected auto-joins.
Browser Extensions/Plugins: You might have an Otter.ai browser extension installed that is configured to automatically detect and join meetings on platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams.
Meeting Host's Settings: If you are a participant and not the host, it's possible the meeting host has configured their Otter.ai to automatically join all their meetings. In this case, you, as a participant, have limited control over their Otter.ai bot.
Organization-Wide Deployment: In a corporate or educational setting, an IT administrator might have deployed Otter.ai across the organization, leading to its automatic presence in certain meetings.
Understanding the source will help you choose the most effective solution.
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| How To Stop Otter Ai From Joining Meetings |
Step 2: Disabling Otter.ai's Auto-Join Feature (Your Account)
This is the most crucial step for individual users who want to stop Otter.ai from automatically joining their own meetings.
Sub-heading 2.1: Through Otter.ai Account Settings
This is the primary way to control Otter.ai's auto-join behavior.
Tip: Reread if it feels confusing.
Sign In to Your Otter.ai Account: Open your web browser and go to
Otter.ai Navigate to Account Settings: Once logged in, look for your profile icon or name usually located in the top-left or top-right corner of the dashboard. Click on it to reveal a dropdown menu. Select "Account Settings" or "Settings."
Access Meeting Settings: Within the Account Settings, you'll typically find a tab or section labeled "Meetings" or "OtterPilot." Click on this.
Disable Auto-Join All Meetings: Look for an option like "Auto-join all meetings," "OtterPilot auto-join," or similar. This will usually be a toggle switch. Toggle this setting OFF.
Note: You may also see options to manage specific auto-join behaviors, such as "Meetings with a video link," "Meetings where I am the host," "External meetings outside your domain," or "Internal meetings within your domain." You can customize these as needed, but disabling "Auto-join all meetings" generally covers all bases.
Review Calendar Events (Optional but Recommended): On the Otter.ai homepage, you might have a "Calendar" tab. Review your upcoming calendar events. Even if you've disabled auto-join, some previously scheduled events might have been manually set to include Otter.ai. You can manually toggle off OtterPilot for individual events if needed.
Sub-heading 2.2: Removing Calendar Integration (if applicable)
If simply disabling the auto-join doesn't seem to work, or if you want to completely sever the connection between Otter.ai and your calendar:
Go to Account Settings > Apps (or Integrations): Within your Otter.ai Account Settings, look for a section related to "Apps," "Integrations," or "Connected Accounts."
Disconnect Your Calendar: You should see your connected calendar (Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar) listed. There will be an option to "Disconnect" or "Remove access" for that calendar. Confirm the disconnection.
Remember to restart your browser or Otter.ai application after making these changes for them to fully take effect.
Step 3: Managing Browser Extensions and Third-Party App Permissions
Browser extensions can sometimes act independently or maintain cached settings. It's a good idea to check and manage them.
Sub-heading 3.1: Disabling or Removing Browser Extensions
For Google Chrome:
Type
chrome://extensionsinto your address bar and press Enter.Find the "Otter.ai" or "Otter Notetaker" extension.
You can either toggle it off (to disable it temporarily) or click "Remove" to uninstall it completely.
For Mozilla Firefox:
Click the three horizontal lines (menu icon) in the top-right corner.
Select "Add-ons and themes" (or press Ctrl+Shift+A).
Find the "Otter.ai" add-on.
Click the three dots next to it and choose "Disable" or "Remove."
For Microsoft Edge:
Click the three dots (menu icon) in the top-right corner.
Go to "Extensions."
Find the "Otter.ai" extension.
Click "Remove" or toggle it off.
Sub-heading 3.2: Revoking Third-Party App Access in Google/Microsoft
Otter.ai might have been granted access to your Google or Microsoft account. Revoking this access adds another layer of security.
Tip: Focus more on ideas, less on words.
For Google Accounts:
Go to your Google Account settings:
myaccount.google.com In the left navigation panel, click "Security."
Scroll down to "Third-party apps with account access" and click "Manage third-party access."
Find "Otter.ai" in the list and click on it.
Click "Remove Access" and confirm.
For Microsoft Accounts:
Go to your Microsoft Account privacy dashboard:
account.microsoft.com/privacy Navigate to "Apps and services that can access your data."
Look for "Otter.ai" and remove its permissions.
Step 4: Removing Otter.ai from an Ongoing Meeting (Host Control)
If Otter.ai has already joined a meeting, and you are the host, you can remove it directly from the meeting platform.
Sub-heading 4.1: Removing from Zoom
During the Meeting:
Click on the "Participants" button at the bottom of the Zoom window.
Locate "Otter.ai" or "OtterPilot" in the participant list.
Hover over its name, click "More" (or the three dots), and select "Remove."
Admin Control (for Organization Accounts):
If you're a Zoom administrator, you can block Otter.ai at an organizational level. Sign in to the Zoom Marketplace (
marketplace.zoom.us Go to "Manage" (top-right corner) > "Admin App Management" > "Apps on Account."
Find "Otter.ai," click on it, and you should have options to disable or remove the app for your organization.
Sub-heading 4.2: Removing from Google Meet
During the Meeting:
Click on the "People" icon (usually a person silhouette) in the bottom-right corner.
Find "Otter.ai" or "OtterPilot" in the participant list.
Click the three dots next to its name and select "Remove from meeting."
Sub-heading 4.3: Removing from Microsoft Teams
During the Meeting:
Click on the "People" icon (usually two person silhouettes) in the meeting controls.
Find "Otter.ai" or "OtterPilot" in the participant list.
Click the three dots next to its name and select "Remove."
Admin Control (for Organization Accounts):
As a Microsoft Teams administrator, you can block domains or applications. In the Microsoft Teams admin center:
Navigate to Users > External Access and consider blocking the
otter.aidomain.Also, check EntraID (Azure AD) > Enterprise Applications > Otter.ai and disable sign-on or remove users associated with it.
Step 5: Communication and Best Practices
Tip: Reading twice doubles clarity.
Even with all the technical steps, sometimes human interaction is necessary.
Sub-heading 5.1: Informing Meeting Participants/Hosts
As a Participant: If you notice Otter.ai joining a meeting where you are not the host, and you prefer it not to be there, politely inform the host. They might be unaware of its automatic presence or how to disable it.
As a Host: If you frequently use Otter.ai, it's good practice to inform your meeting participants upfront that a transcription service will be present. This allows them to raise any privacy concerns before the meeting begins.
Sub-heading 5.2: Utilizing Waiting Rooms and Authentication
For hosts, enabling waiting rooms and requiring authenticated users can add a layer of control.
Waiting Room: By enabling a waiting room, you can manually admit participants, preventing any unwanted bots from joining automatically.
Authenticated Users Only: Configure your meeting settings to only allow authenticated users to join. This can deter bots that don't have proper user credentials.
Step 6: Deleting Your Otter.ai Account (Last Resort)
If you no longer wish to use Otter.ai at all and want to ensure no trace remains, you can delete your account.
Sign In to Your Otter.ai Account.
Navigate to Account Settings.
Look for "Delete Account" or "Close Account": This option is often found under a "General," "Billing," or "Privacy" tab within Account Settings.
Follow the Prompts: You'll likely be asked to confirm your decision and possibly provide a reason for deletion. Be aware that this will delete all your conversations and data within Otter.ai.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
QuickTip: Slow scrolling helps comprehension.
Here are 10 common questions about stopping Otter.ai from joining meetings, with quick answers:
How to stop Otter.ai from automatically joining all my meetings?
Go to your Otter.ai Account Settings, navigate to the "Meetings" or "OtterPilot" section, and toggle off "Auto-join all meetings."
How to remove Otter.ai from a Zoom meeting I'm hosting?
During the Zoom meeting, click "Participants," find "Otter.ai" or "OtterPilot" in the list, click "More" (or three dots), and select "Remove."
How to prevent Otter.ai from joining my Google Meet calls?
Disable the "Auto-join all meetings" setting in your Otter.ai account, and consider disconnecting your Google Calendar from Otter.ai's integrations.
How to block Otter.ai from Microsoft Teams meetings as an admin?
In the Microsoft Teams admin center, block the
otter.aidomain under External Access, and in EntraID (Azure AD) Enterprise Applications, disable sign-on for Otter.ai or remove associated users.
How to check if Otter.ai has a browser extension installed?
For Chrome, type
chrome://extensionsin the address bar. For Firefox, go to "Add-ons and themes." For Edge, go to "Extensions" from the menu. Look for any Otter.ai related extensions.
How to revoke Otter.ai's access to my Google account?
Go to your Google Account settings (myaccount.google.com), navigate to "Security," then "Third-party apps with account access," find Otter.ai, and click "Remove Access."
How to tell if Otter.ai is in a meeting if I'm a participant?
Otter.ai will typically appear as a participant in the meeting's participant list, often named "Otter.ai," "OtterPilot," or similar. Sometimes it also sends a chat message indicating it's recording.
How to stop Otter.ai from sending pre-recording emails?
In your Otter.ai Account Settings, within the "Meetings" or "OtterPilot" section, look for and disable the "Send pre-recording emails" option.
How to ensure Otter.ai doesn't share meeting transcripts automatically?
In Otter.ai's "Meetings" settings, review and adjust the "Auto-share settings" to "Don't Share" or to specific audience preferences.
How to completely delete my Otter.ai account?
Log in to your Otter.ai account, go to Account Settings, and look for an option like "Delete Account" or "Close Account," then follow the prompts to confirm deletion.
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