Zoom (software) facts for kids
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Participants in a shared Zoom call in 2020
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| Original author(s) | Eric Yuan |
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| Developer(s) | Zoom Video Communications |
| Initial release | October 12, 2011 |
| Stable release |
6.0.11 / May 24, 2024
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| Platform | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, ChromeOS |
| Available in | 15 languages |
| Type | Videoconferencing, VoIP, and Instant messaging |
| License | Freemium |
Zoom is a popular computer program made by Zoom Video Communications. It lets people talk to each other using video and audio over the internet. Think of it like a big video call where many people can join at once!
You can use Zoom for free, but there are some limits. A free call can have up to 100 people and last for 40 minutes. If you need more time or more people, you can pay for a special plan. Some paid plans let up to 1,000 people join a meeting for as long as 30 hours!
Contents
Zoom's Story: How It Grew
Zoom started small. A test version came out on August 21, 2012. It could only handle 15 video callers at a time.
On January 25, 2013, the first official version of Zoom was released. This new version let 25 people join a call. In just one month, Zoom had 400,000 users! By the end of 2013, over one million people were using Zoom.
Zoom became super popular during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Many people started working, learning, and socializing from home. Zoom was perfect for this! In February 2020 alone, Zoom gained 2.22 million new users. This was more than all the new users it got in 2019! In March 2020, the Zoom app was downloaded 2.13 million times.
By April 2020, Zoom had over 300 million people joining meetings every day. It was one of the most downloaded apps in the world that year, with over 500 million downloads.
Cool Features of Zoom
Zoom has different levels of service, like Basic, Pro, and Business. It works on many devices, including Windows computers, macOS computers, iPhones, Android phones, ChromeOS devices, and Linux computers. People like Zoom because it's easy to use, even if you're not a tech expert.
What You Can Do with Zoom
Zoom lets you do many things:
- Have one-on-one video calls.
- Join group video calls.
- Share your computer screen with others.
- Use special tools called plugins and browser extensions.
- Record meetings and get a written copy (transcript) of what was said.
On some computers, you can even pick a virtual background. This lets you appear to be somewhere else, like on a beach or in space, even if you're just in your bedroom!
Free vs. Paid Features
As mentioned, the free version of Zoom lets up to 100 people join a video call for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, there's a short break before you can start another free meeting. If you need longer calls, more participants, or special tools for businesses, you can pay for a subscription.
You can see many people on your screen at once:
- Up to 49 people on a desktop or laptop.
- Up to 4 people per screen on iPhone and Android mobile phones and tablet computers.
- Up to 16 people per screen on an iPad.
Keeping Your Meetings Safe
Zoom has many ways to keep your meetings secure:
- You can set a password for your meeting.
- You can make people wait in a "waiting room" until you let them in.
- You can lock a meeting so no one else can join.
- The host (the person who started the meeting) can stop others from sharing their screen.
- Meeting IDs are random, making them harder to guess.
- The host can remove people who are causing trouble.
Zoom also uses strong encryption, which is like a secret code that protects your calls. This means that only the people in the meeting can see and hear what's happening. This feature is available for both free and paid users.
Other Cool Zoom Tools
- Transcriptions: Zoom can work with other programs like Otter.ai to write down everything said in a meeting. This is helpful for businesses to keep records.
- Zoom Phone: This service lets you make phone calls over the internet, just like a regular phone.
- Zoom for Home: These are products designed for using Zoom easily at home.
- Accessibility Features: Zoom has added features to help people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have trouble seeing. For example, you can move video windows around, make text bigger, and easily see sign language interpreters.
- OnZoom: This is a place where people can host and promote online events, like classes or concerts. You can even sell tickets!
- Zoom Apps: These are other apps that you can use right inside Zoom meetings, like apps for sharing files or working on projects together.
- Focus Mode: This is great for schools! When it's on, students can't see each other's screens, but the teacher can see everyone. This helps students focus.
- Whiteboard: Zoom has a digital whiteboard where people can draw and write together during a meeting.
- Zoom Contact Center: This is a special service for businesses to talk to their customers using video calls.
How People Use Zoom
Zoom is used by all kinds of people and groups:
- Schools and Universities: For online classes and lectures.
- Businesses: For meetings, working from home, and talking to customers.
- Healthcare: For online doctor's appointments.
- Government: For official meetings.
- Social Events: For birthday parties, family gatherings, and even funeral services.
During the pandemic, Zoom became a part of many new and interesting things:
- Sports: Formula One partnered with Zoom to create a virtual club for fans to go behind the scenes.
- Real Estate: Some houses for sale even started having "Zoom rooms" with nice backgrounds for video calls!
- Plays and Movies: Many plays and movies were created or performed using Zoom, showing how people communicated during lockdowns. For example, the horror film Host was about friends having a scary séance over Zoom.
- Global Events: Organizations used Zoom to hold huge online conferences with speakers from many different countries and time zones.
- Celebrity Events: Famous actors and musicians used Zoom for charity events, award shows, and even music videos! For example, a live reading of the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High script was done on Zoom with stars like Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards also had nominees join through Zoom.
Zoom's easy use for meetings also helped leaders and governments talk to each other during important world events, like the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
See also
In Spanish: Zoom (software) para niños
- List of video telecommunication services and product brands
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on science and technology
- Zoom fatigue
- Zoom town
