PublicInput's Meetings module integrates with Zoom. This guide covers account requirements, recommended settings, and how the integration works for your agency.
For a comparison of all supported conferencing backends, see Tech Requirements for Meetings. For Microsoft Teams setup, see Meetings Integration Guide — Microsoft Teams.
Account Requirements
Account type: Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Education
Free accounts: Can use the PublicInput phone bridge only — cannot livestream. Free accounts are also capped at 40 minutes and 100 attendees.
Zoom Webinar: Supported, with extra steps. PublicInput's phone line joins the webinar as an attendee, so the host has to allow it to talk. See Using Zoom Webinar below.
Zoom client: Desktop (Windows/macOS/Linux) or mobile (Android/iOS) at Zoom's minimum supported version or higher. The Zoom web client also supports livestreaming.
Required Zoom Account Settings
Before connecting your Zoom account, configure the following settings at zoom.us/profile/setting:
In Meeting (Advanced)
Allow live streaming meetings: ON
Enable Facebook, YouTube, and Custom Live Streaming Service
Recording (Recommended)
Cloud Recording: ON
Automatic Recording: ON — set to "Record in the Cloud"
Host can pause/stop auto recording: OFF — this prevents gaps in the public record
Schedule Meeting
Join before host: OFF
Mute participants upon entry: ON — phone bridge participants can press *6 to unmute when providing public comment
Security
Only authenticated users can join: OFF (unless you are embedding Zoom directly without livestreaming)
Paid Events
If you plan to host paid events, a Stripe or PayPal Business account is required.
How PublicInput's Phone Bridge Works with Zoom
PublicInput does not use Zoom's built-in Audio Conferencing numbers. Instead, PublicInput operates its own branded dial-in number and connects to your Zoom meeting as a participant through the Public Conference Line panel (visible approximately 30 minutes before the meeting starts).
When you click Connect New Bridge, PublicInput joins the Zoom meeting as a phone caller. The host admits it from the Zoom waiting room, confirms unmute on both sides, and from that point PublicInput callers share the same audio session as Zoom attendees.
Your agency's Zoom account does not need a separate Zoom Audio Conferencing add-on for the public comment phone path to work.
PublicInput dial-in vs. Zoom's built-in number
Zoom's auto-generated audio number drops callers into the Zoom audio stream. PublicInput's dedicated dial-in provides a full meeting workflow on top of that call, including:
Branded / local numbers — agencies can use a recognizable local area code
IVR + speaker queue — callers are prompted to provide public comment or listen only, and are routed into the same queue as online, SMS, and in-person commenters
Caller identification + registration — callers can register by phone (name, address, agenda item) so staff sees who's on deck
Unified multi-channel queue — phone, SMS, web, and in-person comments merge into one ordered speaker list on the PublicInput dashboard
Recording, transcription, and AI minutes — speaker-aligned transcripts and AI-generated minutes run off PublicInput's captured audio, independent of Zoom's recording policies
Compliance and analytics — audit-ready call logs and engagement analytics exportable for open-meetings compliance
Using Zoom Webinar
PublicInput works with Zoom Webinar. The phone line calls in as an attendee, not as a host or panelist, and Zoom does not let attendees speak by default. Once the phone line has joined the webinar:
In Zoom, open Participants and go to the Attendees list. Find the PublicInput phone number for your meeting.
Click the ... (More) menu next to that phone number and select Allow to Talk.
In PublicInput's meeting connection wizard, on the Test Meeting Audio step, click Unmute Phone Line. Webinar attendees join muted, so the phone line stays silent until you do this.
Allow to Talk gives the phone line permission to speak, and Unmute Phone Line turns its microphone on. You need both. If either is skipped, the webinar will not hear the audio test or any PublicInput caller. If the phone line drops and reconnects during the meeting, Zoom treats it as a new attendee, so repeat both steps. After the wizard is finished, the Phone line audio: Mute/Unmute button on the phone line bar does the same thing as Unmute Phone Line.
Raise-hand and the PublicInput queue
Zoom's raise-hand feature and PublicInput's public comment queue operate independently. We recommend directing the public to PublicInput's queue as the canonical comment mechanism, and reserving Zoom's raise-hand for staff or panelist logistics.
Recordings
Zoom's native recorder captures everything in the Zoom meeting (including the PublicInput bridge audio). PublicInput separately produces its own speaker-aligned transcript and AI minutes. Agencies typically end up with both a Zoom cloud recording and a PublicInput transcript.