When the Waiting Room is enabled for a session, participants who join before the host admits them see a waiting screen. The host receives a notification when someone is in the Waiting Room and can admit them individually or all at once. The host can also see participant names while they are waiting, which allows for verification before entry. If a participant is removed during a session, they can be prevented from rejoining by blocking them rather than simply removing them.
Enable the Waiting Room for any session involving external participants: client demos, interviews, or partner calls. It prevents accidental early joiners from witnessing internal preparation or seeing a screen share left open from a previous session. For trusted internal team meetings, the Waiting Room adds friction without benefit, so it is reasonable to leave it disabled. For large webinars, the Waiting Room is less commonly used as attendees typically join into a broadcast rather than an interactive session.
If the host is delayed joining, participants in the Waiting Room have no way to interact with each other or see any content; they simply wait. Communicate expected start times clearly in the invitation to avoid confusion. In sessions with a Co-organiser, the Co-organiser can also manage the Waiting Room, admitting participants while the host completes setup. Admitting participants one at a time can be time-consuming in large sessions; use the admit-all option when you have verified the full attendee list.
Yes. If a Co-organiser has been assigned, they can manage the Waiting Room on behalf of the host: admitting individuals, admitting all waiting participants at once, or denying entry to unrecognised names. This is particularly useful when the host is presenting and cannot monitor the participant panel while speaking.
Participants in the Waiting Room see a waiting screen that typically displays a message indicating they are waiting for the host to admit them. They cannot see or hear the session, cannot interact with other participants, and cannot see any shared content. The experience varies slightly depending on the browser or app version, but the core functionality is a static holding screen.
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