Tired of Otter.ai Notetaker popping into your Google Meet sessions uninvited? You're not alone! While Otter.ai is a fantastic tool for transcribing meetings, there are times you might want a bit more privacy or simply prefer to take your own notes. This comprehensive guide will walk you through every step to politely but firmly remove Otter.ai Notetaker from your Google Meet experience, giving you back full control.
Let's dive in, shall we?
Understanding How Otter.ai Connects to Google Meet
Before we start removing, it's helpful to understand how Otter.ai manages to join your meetings. Typically, Otter.ai integrates with your Google Calendar. This integration allows Otter.ai to scan your scheduled meetings and, if configured, automatically join and transcribe them. It can also appear as a Chrome extension that aids in direct integration. Our goal is to sever these connections.
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| How To Remove Otter Ai Notetaker From Google Meet |
Step 1: Identify the Source of the Otter.ai Intrusion – Let's Be Detectives!
The first thing we need to do is figure out how Otter.ai is joining your meetings. Is it automatically appearing in every meeting, or just specific ones?
Is it an automatic guest? If Otter.ai is consistently joining your scheduled Google Meet calls, even those you didn't explicitly invite it to, it's likely linked through your calendar integration.
Do you see an Otter.ai icon in your browser? If you see a small Otter.ai icon in your Chrome browser toolbar, you might have the Otter.ai Chrome extension installed. This extension can facilitate its presence in meetings.
Did you manually invite it? Perhaps you or a colleague manually invited the Otter.ai Notetaker bot to a specific meeting. While this is less about permanent removal, it's good to distinguish.
Once you have a general idea, we can proceed with the targeted removal steps.
Step 2: Stop Otter.ai from Automatically Joining Future Meetings
This is often the primary concern for most users. We'll tackle the auto-join feature first.
Tip: Take mental snapshots of important details.
Sub-heading: Via Otter.ai Account Settings (Recommended)
This is the most effective and direct way to prevent Otter.ai from automatically joining your meetings.
Log 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 in the top right corner. Click on it, and from the dropdown menu, select "Account Settings."
Find the "Meetings" or "Notetaker" Section: Within Account Settings, you'll see various tabs or sections. Look for a section explicitly named "Meetings" or "Otter Notetaker."
Disable Auto-Join: Inside this section, you should find an option related to "Auto-join meetings" or "Automatically add Notetaker to your meetings." This might be a toggle switch. Toggle this setting to the OFF position.
Pro Tip: You might have granular control here. For instance, options like "Meetings where I am the host," "External meetings," or "Internal meetings." You can choose to disable auto-join for all, or be selective based on your needs. For a complete stop, disable all relevant auto-join options.
Save Changes: Always ensure you save any changes you make in the settings. There might be a "Save" button at the bottom of the page.
Sub-heading: Disconnecting Your Calendar (More Drastic, but Effective)
If you want to completely sever the link between Otter.ai and your Google Calendar, follow these steps. This will prevent Otter.ai from even seeing your calendar events.
Log in to your Otter.ai account: As before, log in to your Otter.ai account.
Go to Account Settings > Apps (or Integrations): In your Account Settings, look for a tab or section called "Apps" or "Integrations."
Locate your connected Calendar: Under "Connect calendars & contacts," you should see your Google Calendar listed.
Click "Disconnect": Next to your Google Calendar, there will be a "Disconnect" button or link. Click it to remove the integration.
Important Note: Disconnecting your calendar means Otter.ai will no longer sync any calendar events. If you use Otter.ai for other purposes that rely on calendar syncing, be aware of this impact.
Step 3: Remove the Otter.ai Chrome Extension (If Applicable)
If you've installed the Otter.ai Chrome extension, it might be contributing to its presence in your Google Meet sessions. Removing it is straightforward.
Open Google Chrome: Launch your Chrome browser.
Access Extensions:
Click on the three vertical dots (ellipsis) in the top right corner of your Chrome browser window.
Hover over "More tools."
Select "Extensions" from the sub-menu.
Alternatively, you can type
chrome://extensionsdirectly into your Chrome address bar and press Enter.
Locate Otter.ai: Scroll through your list of installed extensions to find "Otter.ai Notetaker" or something similar.
Remove the Extension:
Next to the Otter.ai extension, you'll see a "Remove" button. Click on it.
A confirmation dialog will appear. Click "Remove" again to confirm.
You can also temporarily disable the extension by toggling the blue switch if you just want to test its impact.
Step 4: Remove Otter.ai from a Live Google Meet Session
Sometimes, Otter.ai might still join a meeting, or perhaps a colleague invited it. You can remove it directly from the live Google Meet session if you have the host permissions.
During a Google Meet call: Look at the list of participants.
Locate "Otter.ai Notetaker": Find the participant named "Otter.ai Notetaker" or similar.
Remove the participant:
Hover over the Otter.ai Notetaker's name in the participant list.
You should see a three-dot menu (ellipsis) or a "Remove" icon (often a small 'X' or a person icon with a minus sign).
Click on it and select "Remove" or "Remove from meeting."
Note: This will only remove Otter.ai from the current live meeting. To prevent it from joining future meetings, you'll need to follow the steps in Step 2.
QuickTip: Pause when something clicks.
Step 5: Check Google Account Permissions (Advanced)
While less common for direct "removal" of the Notetaker, it's good practice to review what applications have access to your Google account. Otter.ai would have requested access when you first integrated it.
Go to your Google Account: Open your web browser and go to
myaccount.google.com Navigate to Security: In the left-hand navigation pane, click on "Security."
Manage Third-party access: Scroll down to the section titled "Third-party apps with account access" and click on "Manage third-party access."
Find and Remove Otter.ai: Locate "Otter.ai" in the list. Click on it, and then click "Remove Access."
Be cautious: Ensure you are removing the correct application if you have many connected.
Step 6: Verify and Test
After going through these steps, it's crucial to verify that Otter.ai is no longer joining your Google Meet sessions.
Schedule a test Google Meet: Create a new Google Meet event in your calendar, ensuring it's for a time in the near future.
Join the test Meet: Join the meeting at the scheduled time.
Check participant list: Observe the participant list carefully. Otter.ai Notetaker should not be present.
Review your Otter.ai settings: Double-check your Otter.ai Account Settings (as in Step 2) to ensure the auto-join feature remains disabled.
Related FAQ Questions
How to stop Otter.ai from automatically joining all my Google Meets?
You need to go to your Otter.ai Account Settings > Meetings (or Notetaker) and disable the "Auto-join meetings" feature.
How to disconnect my Google Calendar from Otter.ai?
Reminder: Reading twice often makes things clearer.
Log in to Otter.ai, go to Account Settings > Apps (or Integrations), find your Google Calendar, and click "Disconnect."
How to remove the Otter.ai Chrome extension?
Open Chrome, go to chrome://extensions, find the Otter.ai extension, and click "Remove."
How to remove Otter.ai from a Google Meet in progress?
During a live Google Meet, locate "Otter.ai Notetaker" in the participant list, click the three-dot menu or remove icon next to its name, and select "Remove from meeting."
How to prevent Otter.ai from sending chat messages in Google Meet?
In your Otter.ai Account Settings > Meetings (or Notetaker), look for "Notetaker chat messages" settings and toggle them off.
How to know if Otter.ai is currently recording my Google Meet?
Tip: Reading twice doubles clarity.
You will see "Otter.ai Notetaker" as a participant in your Google Meet. There might also be a notification within the Otter.ai application itself if it's recording a live meeting.
How to re-enable Otter.ai Notetaker after removing it?
To re-enable, you would typically reverse the steps: connect your Google Calendar in Otter.ai settings, enable auto-join, or reinstall the Chrome extension.
How to delete my entire Otter.ai account?
Log in to Otter.ai, go to Account Settings > General, and look for the "Delete account" option at the bottom. Be aware this is permanent and will delete all your transcripts.
How to manage which specific meetings Otter.ai joins?
Instead of completely disabling auto-join, in Otter.ai's "Meetings" settings, you can often select "Meetings I manually select" or customize rules for which meetings it joins. You can then individually toggle auto-join for specific calendar events on your Otter.ai homepage calendar.
How to ensure privacy in Google Meet when using AI tools?
Always inform participants if an AI notetaker is present. Review the privacy policies of any AI tool you use and regularly audit third-party app access to your accounts. Consider using Google Meet's built-in recording features if you prefer to keep transcriptions within Google's ecosystem.
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