How do I stop AI notetaker bots joining my Zoom, Teams and Google Meet calls?
Short answer
Make bots wait for approval, and don't let them in. Microsoft Teams detects external meeting bots and holds them in the lobby, and admins can block them in a meeting policy. In Google Meet, set the meeting access type to Trusted or Restricted so uninvited guests have to ask to join. In Zoom, turn on the waiting room and require participants to sign in. If you still want notes, record from your own computer with a bot-free notetaker such as Acta's desktop app or Chrome extension.
How to do it with Acta
- 1
Microsoft Teams: keep bot detection on
Teams flags external meeting bots as they join and holds them in the lobby for approval. Admins set how detected bots are handled in the Teams meeting policy, including blocking them. Let only organizers and co-organizers admit people from the lobby.
- 2
Google Meet: use Trusted or Restricted access
In the Calendar invite's video call options, or the Host controls panel during the call, set Meeting access type to Trusted or Restricted. Uninvited guests then have to ask to join, and you can turn off asking to join altogether.
- 3
Zoom: waiting room and sign-in
Turn on the waiting room and require participants to sign in. Bots that can't sign in can't join, and the waiting room lets you check everyone else before they come in.
- 4
Remove a bot that got in
Remove it from the participant list and don't admit it again. Let the person who sent it know why.
What you get
- Teams: detected bots wait in the lobby
- Google Meet: uninvited guests have to ask to join
- Zoom: waiting room plus sign-in
- Notes with no bot in the call: Acta's desktop app and Chrome extension
Good to know
Will these settings also stop Acta's notetaker?
If you use the notetaker, yes: it joins like any guest, so it waits in the lobby or waiting room until someone lets it in. Acta's desktop app and Chrome extension record from your own computer and don't join the call, so these settings don't affect them.
Do these settings stop a bot that joins through someone's own account?
Not always. Some notetakers join from a participant's signed-in account, so sign-in rules don't stop them. Approving people from the lobby or waiting room, removing bots and agreeing a recording policy with your team cover the gap.
Why do people block AI notetaker bots?
Common reasons are bots joining meetings their owner doesn't attend, recordings of confidential or external calls, and guests who never agreed to be recorded.
How can I take notes in a meeting where bots are blocked?
Record from your own computer. Acta's desktop app for Windows and Mac records the Zoom and Teams apps, and its Chrome extension records Google Meet, Zoom and Teams in the browser, with nobody added to the call. Follow your company's rules and tell people you're recording; in many places that's the law.