With the many Zoom meetings that you probably have in a week, frustrations may start knocking.
Besides, Zoom sessions are tiresome, especially when you have many of them in a row.
Do you know you can skip a Zoom session by pausing your camera, such that anyone viewing your Zoom screen will think that your Zoom has frozen? Yet, you’ve paused the camera intentionally to escape the Zoom meeting.
To pause your camera on Zoom requires you to utilize the Zoom virtual backgrounds feature.
The trick involves capturing your picture and setting it as your virtual background. While on your Zoom meeting, open your camera and capture a picture while in eye contact with the webcam.
Open your Zoom and click on “Settings”. In the “Backgrounds & Filters” section, click the plus icon, upload your image, and set it as your background.
We will discuss what Zoom virtual backgrounds are. Next, we will cover the steps for pausing your camera on Zoom to trick people. Let’s kick it!
What are Zoom Virtual Backgrounds?
You use a virtual background to hide the actual background in a video call.
Virtual backgrounds on Zoom refer to the images you can use to set as your background, such that you create the illusion that you are in a different place during the Zoom meeting.
For instance, you can upload a picture of an airplane to make it appear like you are having a meeting while flying. That way, someone who is not keen will fall to the bait and believe you are in the set virtual background.
It gets better since Zoom lets users use the available images and videos as their virtual backgrounds or add their custom ones from their devices and use them as their backgrounds.
How To Pause Your Camera on Zoom
To pause your camera refers to freezing it on Zoom, so everyone will think your Zoom has frozen, affecting your video call.
Many people use this trick when they want to trick other people or skip a Zoom meeting safely, as the host will believe you had an issue with your Zoom causing you to fail to participate in the session.
For the Zoom desktop, you can quickly utilize its virtual backgrounds feature. However, your phone needs to support a split screen for the mobile version. Otherwise, it won’t work.
On Zoom Desktop
Position yourself as you would when attending a Zoom session, looking straight at the webcam to maintain eye contact.
Open your desktop’s camera and capture a clear picture. Verify that the captured image depicts you looking at the webcam like attending a Zoom meeting.
From there, proceed as follows.
- Open the Zoom desktop app and sign in to your account.
- Click the Settings icon at the top.
- Tap on the “Backgrounds & Filters” option.
- Under the “Virtual backgrounds”, click on the plus icon.
- Select the picture your captured and upload it.
- Click on the uploaded picture to set it as your virtual background.
Once you’ve properly set the background, you can move from your position and leave the virtual background to appear as if your camera has paused/frozen.
People viewing you on Zoom will think you have an error with your Zoom, pausing your camera.
On Zoom Mobile
Unlike the Zoom desktop, to pause the camera using the Zoom mobile application requires your phone to support a split screen, such that you can open your picture in a split-screen view and the picture will appear frozen on Zoom.
Ensure you have a picture you will use as your virtual background, then proceed.
- Open your Zoom app.
- Sign into your account and click the “New Meeting” button to start a meeting or join an existing meeting.
- Click the More icon to open settings.
- Open your camera or gallery where the picture is.
- With the picture opened, open the split screen view.
Zoom will now show that your camera has paused, and everyone will conclude you have an issue causing your camera to freeze.
Conclusion
You can pause your Zoom camera whenever you want to skip a meeting by adding a virtual background to make your Zoom appear frozen when someone views it.
All the steps to follow are covered in this post.
