If Vinyl joins your Zoom meeting but leaves again after only a minute or two, well before the meeting has actually ended, this is usually caused by a Zoom setting rather than a problem with Vinyl.
Why this happens
Vinyl needs permission to record in Zoom. If that permission is refused, or Zoom's local recording is turned off, Vinyl waits about a minute and then leaves. The meeting in Vinyl then shows Recording permission denied.
Vinyl is waiting for approval to record. On Zoom, the host or a co-host has to approve Vinyl's request to record. While it waits, the meeting shows Waiting for approval to record. Vinyl waits up to 10 minutes. If nobody approves it, for example because the host hasn't joined, Vinyl leaves without a recording. If Zoom asks the host to allow Vinyl to record, clicking Allow lets it carry on.
How to fix it
In Zoom, go to Settings, then Recording.
Check that Local Recording is switched on for hosts (and for participants too, if you'd like your team to be able to record).
If this was switched off previously, for example, to stop Zoom's own built-in recording or AI companion starting automatically, you can re-enable local recording access on its own without turning Zoom's separate recording or AI features back on.
Start a new meeting and confirm Vinyl stays connected once audio begins.
Can't see "Local Recording" in Zoom? In newer versions of Zoom, the recording options are labelled Record to computer files and Record to cloud. The setting Vinyl needs is Record to computer files (this is the same as Local Recording). Make sure it's switched on.
Meeting hosted by a client and can't change their settings?
If the Zoom meeting is hosted by a client or another external party, you usually won't be able to change their local recording permission yourself. In that case, a simple workaround is to record from the Vinyl mobile app instead:
Put the call on speakerphone (or use a speaker/headset setup everyone can be heard through).
Start a recording in the Vinyl mobile app for the duration of the call.
Vinyl will capture and process the audio directly from your device, regardless of the host's Zoom recording settings.
Other reasons Vinyl leaves a meeting
Vinyl also leaves a meeting when:
it's been kept in the waiting room for 10 minutes
nobody has joined after 10 minutes
only other bots are left in the call
everyone else has left
Once the meeting has been going for 15 minutes, Vinyl also leaves after 5 minutes of silence. There's more on these in Prevent Your Vinyl Bot from Leaving a Meeting.
Still having trouble?
If Local Recording (Record to computer files) is already enabled and Vinyl is still leaving early, chat with us below and we'll take a look.