Connect to meeting with camera off?

[RichStrangfeld]

Is there a way, in Webex app settings or in connecting to a meeting, to connect without having my camera on? I can join a meeting with a post-it covering the camera and immediately turn my camera off, but that that can't be the intended way.

I don't see anything about this in preferences or at the time I click "Meet" to join the meeting.I can remove camera permissions for the app, but then the app keeps showing a warning about that, and sometimes I do want the camera on. I'm using Version 41.1.0.17740 on a Mac, if that matters.

Sorry if this has been answered before; I didn't see it in a quick search.

Thanks!

[Fritz_H]

@RichStrangfeld 

based on this article...

https://help.webex.com/en-us/ibcbx/Webex-Choose-Your-Audio-and-Video-Settings-Before-You-Join-a-Meeting

...you should be able to check your settings before joining a meeting.

As a workaround you may try to install a "virtual webcam" (showing nothing or just a picture of you?)
and set this device as default-cam in Webex.
As far as I have seen, the issue with virtual webcams on MacOS has been resolved by in recent Webex-Update...

[Fred Nielsen (ePlus)]

When you click Meet (and before joining the meeting) you should be see a dialogue asking you to confirm, with a Stop Video button plainly visible:

[RichStrangfeld]

Hmmm. I don't see such a dialog. I'm just taken directly into the meeting.
Is there a setting that controls display of that dialog?

There is a "Stop video" button shown as soon as I join the meeting, and I do click that, but it sure looks like I'm already in the meeting at that point.

[kndskelton]

Stop video is correct. Once joined you can turn on and off your camera by that button too. (Fredless shared a great response.)

[RichStrangfeld]

OK, thanks. Really I was looking for a way to join without ever having my camera on, rather than joining with camera on and then stopping it.

It turns out I had accidentally migrated from Webex Meetings to Webex Team. I uninstalled that and went back to Webex Meetings, and now things work as expected. I see a confirmation panel on the way into the meeting, and my camera is never on unless I click "Start Video".

[kndskelton]

This is good to hear. Your setting should be default now. WebEx has been known to cache the last known configuration for the next meeting. (As I understand it anyway.)