Zoom is changing how every third-party note-taker bot joins Zoom meetings, Fellow included. For the Fellow Note Taker to continue recording your Zoom calls, install or update Fellow's app for Zoom.
Action required: Install or update Fellow's app for Zoom, or install Fellow's Admin App for Zoom to cover your entire workspace at once.
What's changing and why
Zoom is changing its policy for apps that join meetings. Previously, note-taker bots could join a Zoom call without being linked to a specific person. Under Zoom's new rules, every bot has to be tied to a real Zoom user who has authorized the app. This policy change aims to give companies more visibility into where meeting note takers are coming from.
Once the app has been authorized, there is no change to the content or types of meetings that Fellow can record. Fellow will continue to show up as a participant in the meeting as before.
Zoom will start enforcing this on October 14, 2026. After that date, the Fellow Note Taker will be unable to join a Zoom meeting unless someone on the call has authorized the Fellow Zoom app. Other methods of recording Zoom calls, such as Fellow's Zoom Native Capture or desktop app botless recording, remain available and unchanged.
What this means for your meetings
The Note Taker joins on behalf of a specific person. Fellow chooses who the Note Taker joins on behalf of in this order:
For a scheduled recording, Fellow first tries the meeting organizer in Fellow.
If the organizer hasn't authorized the Fellow Zoom app, Fellow uses the person who asked Fellow to record the meeting.
If the organizer has authorized the app but isn't in the meeting to let the Note Taker in, the Note Taker tries to join on behalf of other attendees who are in the call.
The person the Note Taker joins on behalf of needs a Fellow account with Zoom connected (the Zoom account may be either Free or Paid).
The Note Taker joins once that person does. The Note Taker waits up to 10 minutes for the person it's joining on behalf of to arrive. The bot only appears in the waiting room once that person is in the call. The recording controls in the Fellow note can be used to check the bot's current status.
When that person leaves, the Note Taker leaves too. If the Note Taker joined on your behalf and you leave early, the recording stops when you go.
Meetings hosted outside your company still work. You can still record calls hosted by customers, partners or anyone else, as long as the Fellow user the Note Taker joins on behalf of is on the call and has authorized the Fellow Zoom app. This change also means that when you join a call where external participants bring their own note-taker bots, you can see exactly who invited each one.
Everything else stays the same. The Note Taker still appears as a visible participant, with the same name and the same recording notices. Your notes, transcripts and recaps work exactly as they do today.
What you need to do
For admins: set up the integration for your whole workspace at once
By default, we recommend that a Zoom account admin install the Fellow Zoom Admin App. It authorizes Fellow across your whole Zoom account in one step, so individual users don't each need to grant the extra permissions. Users can optionally install the regular integration themselves too, which provides an in-meeting surface to view and edit meeting notes and use recording controls.
To install the Admin App:
Go to Workspace settings → Integrations → Zoom Admin App in Fellow (or go here) and click Connect.
Sign in with a Zoom account that has admin rights.
Approve the requested permissions.
That's it! The bot will be able to continue joining all calls in your workspace.
For workspace members (non-admins): install or update the Fellow Zoom app
This takes less than a minute.
Option 1: install from the Zoom App Marketplace
Open the Fellow app on the Zoom App Marketplace.
Click Add (or Update, if you already have it).
Sign in to Zoom and approve the requested permissions.
Option 2: connect from Fellow
In Fellow, go to Settings → Apps, extensions & integrations.
Under Video Conferencing, find the Zoom card.
Click Connect if you haven't connected Zoom yet, or Update if you have.
Sign in to Zoom and approve the requested permissions.
Other ways to record Zoom meetings
The Note Taker isn't the only way to record Zoom meetings with Fellow, and these options aren't affected by this change.
Record with Zoom (Zoom Native Capture)
Fellow can record through Zoom's own built-in capture, so no bot joins the meeting. Zoom's built-in recording notices still tell participants they're being recorded. Many Fellow Zoom recordings already work this way.
This option isn't affected by the change. Because it doesn't depend on being associated with a given user, the recording keeps going even if the person who started it leaves. That makes it the best choice for long meetings, or meetings where people come and go.
To use it:
The meeting's Zoom host needs to have the Fellow Zoom app connected and up to date.
The Zoom native capture option must be turned on in your Fellow workspace's recording settings. It's on by default.
From the record button, choose Record with Zoom. You can also make Zoom Native Capture your preferred recording method in your settings.
Record from the Fellow desktop app (botless)
The Fellow desktop app records meetings directly from your computer by capturing your computer's audio and your microphone. No bot joins the call, so none of the Zoom app requirements apply. It works for any Zoom meeting you attend, whoever hosts it.
This is a good option if:
your can't install the Fellow Zoom app
you're joining a meeting where no one can sponsor the bot
you'd rather not have a bot in the meeting
To use it, install the Fellow desktop app. When you join a meeting, choose Record botless from the record button, or click the Meeting detected notification. You can also have botless recording start automatically when you join a meeting from your calendar.
Note that botless recordings capture audio only.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if we do nothing?
Once Zoom starts enforcing the new rules, the Fellow Note Taker won't be able to join your Zoom meetings. Zoom Native Capture and desktop app recording will keep working as they do now.
Is this a Fellow change or a Zoom change?
It's a Zoom platform requirement, and it applies to every third-party note-taker that joins Zoom meetings.
Do I need to do this more than once?
No. Once you've connected or updated the Fellow Zoom app, you're set.
Why did the Note Taker leave my meeting early?
The Note Taker leaves when the person it joined on behalf of leaves. For meetings where you might step out early, use Fellow's Zoom Native Capture or the desktop app instead.
Why didn't the Note Taker join my meeting?
The most common reasons are:
the meeting organizer hasn't connected or updated the Fellow Zoom app
the person who invited the bot didn't join within 10 minutes
the host didn't admit the Note Taker from the waiting room
Will anything change for meeting participants or compliance?
The Note Taker still joins as a visible participant, so any disclosure practices you rely on stay the same. Participants also get more transparency, because they can see who brought the bot.
I'm not a Zoom admin. How do I get the Admin App installed?
Share this article with your IT team or Zoom account admin. Only they can install the Admin App. In the meantime, you can connect your own Zoom account so your own meetings keep recording. If your company blocks app installs, use Request pre-approval on the Fellow Zoom app page.