Host a Zoom Meeting from Your iPad

Questions

  • How do I host a Zoom meeting from my iPad?
  • Can I start a Zoom meeting from an iPad?
  • How do I manage participants in Zoom on an iPad?
  • How do I admit someone from the waiting room in Zoom on an iPad?
  • Can I start breakout rooms in Zoom from an iPad?
  • How do I start a cloud recording in Zoom from an iPad?
  • What host controls are available in the Zoom iPad app?
  • Can I share my screen while hosting a Zoom meeting on an iPad?

Environment

This article applies to Bowdoin faculty, staff, and students hosting Zoom meetings from the Zoom app on an iPad. Most essential host features are available on the iPad app. A small number of features — including polls, pre-assigned breakout room viewing, and live streaming — require the Zoom desktop app on a Mac or Windows computer.

Resolution

New to Zoom on iPad? See Use Zoom as an Attendee on an iPad in the Related Articles section for a walkthrough of the basic meeting controls and where to find the toolbar.

Start or Join a Meeting as Host

  1. Open the Zoom app on your iPad and sign in with your Bowdoin credentials if prompted.
  2. To start an instant meeting, tap New Meeting on the Home screen, then tap Start a Meeting.
  3. To start a scheduled meeting, tap Meetings at the bottom of the screen, find your upcoming meeting, and tap Start.
  4. To join a meeting you are hosting from another device, tap Join and enter the meeting ID.
Signing in with SSO: Tap Sign In with SSO and enter bowdoin as the company domain. Using SSO gives you access to your full Bowdoin Pro host license.

Host Toolbar on iPad

Tap anywhere on the meeting screen to reveal the toolbar at the top. The host toolbar includes your microphone, camera, and buttons for Participants, Share Content, More, and End. Tap More for additional host features including recording, security, and reactions.

Manage Participants

  1. Tap Participants to open the participant list.
  2. Tap a participant's name to access their individual controls: mute, stop video, assign as co-host, rename, put in waiting room, or remove from the meeting.
  3. At the bottom of the Participants panel, tap Mute All to silence all attendees at once. Uncheck Allow Participants to Unmute Themselves if you want to control when participants can speak.

Admit Participants from the Waiting Room

If your meeting has a waiting room enabled, a notification appears when a participant is waiting. Tap Admit to let them in, or open the Participants panel and tap Admit next to their name. To admit all waiting participants at once, tap Admit All.

Start Breakout Rooms

  1. Tap More in the toolbar, then tap Breakout Rooms.
  2. Set the number of rooms and choose automatic or manual assignment.
  3. Tap Create Rooms, then tap Open All Rooms to send participants to their rooms.
  4. To join a breakout room, tap its name and select Join. Tap Leave Breakout Room to return to the main meeting.
  5. Tap Close All Rooms to return everyone to the main meeting.
Pre-assigned breakout rooms: Viewing pre-assigned participant lists for breakout rooms is not supported on the iPad app. Set up pre-assignments through bowdoin.zoom.us on a computer before the meeting.

Record to the Cloud

  1. Tap More in the toolbar, then tap Record.
  2. Tap Start Recording. A recording indicator appears in the top-left corner.
  3. To pause or stop, tap More > Record again and choose Pause Recording or Stop Recording.
Local recording is not available on iPad. You can only record to the cloud from the iPad app. After processing, your recording will transfer automatically to Panopto.

Share Your Screen While Hosting

  1. Tap Share Content in the toolbar.
  2. Select Screen to share everything on your iPad, or choose a specific app, photo, or document.
  3. Tap Start Broadcast if prompted, then switch to the app you want to display. Participants will see your iPad screen in the meeting.
  4. Return to the Zoom app and tap Stop Share to end the screen share.

Features Not Available When Hosting from iPad

The following host features require the Zoom desktop app and are not available when hosting from an iPad:

  • Creating, editing, or launching polls
  • Viewing pre-assigned breakout room participant lists
  • Live streaming a meeting

For meetings where you need these features, use the Zoom desktop app on your Mac or Windows computer as the host.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

  • Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
  • Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
  • In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
  • Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.

Additional Resources

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How to use Zoom meeting features as an attendee on an iPad — including audio and video controls, in-meeting chat, reactions, joining breakout rooms, sharing your screen, and annotating shared content.
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