As PCMag recounts, Zoom previously claimed to have addressed the issue in a December 27 update that “resolved an issue regarding the microphone light indicator being triggered when not in a meeting.” Even still, some macOS Monterey users insisted the microphone activity indicator - which lights up green when the mic is actively in use and orange when it has been recently used - persisted in the menu bar after a Zoom call was over. I don’t know about you, but practically every Zoom call I’ve witnessed or taken part in usually ends with a huge sigh of relief followed by a 10-minute discussion on how terrible the meeting was. You know, the sort of banter that you most certainly don’t want other parties on the call to hear.
A Zoom spokesperson told The Register on February 10 that they were looking into the matter. A day later, a spokesperson on the Zoom Community forums acknowledged a bug that would show the orange indicator light after having left a meeting, call or webinar. The bug was squashed in the Zoom client for macOS version 5.9.3, the person said, adding that everyone should update to this version to apply the fix. If you must you use Zoom or any other videoconferencing software, perhaps the best course of action is to fully exit the program once you are done, or even perform a full system reset afterwards to ensure it is no longer running. If you are especially paranoid, perhaps consider a secondary system for video calls and keep that stored in a different room when not in use. Image credit: Gabriel Benois, iyus sugiharto
