ZOOM OUT
Hilarious Zoom prank lets people skip virtual meetings by creating looping videos of themselves
A HILARIOUS prankster has revealed a cheeky way to skip out on dull virtual meetings while working from home.
US Twitter user Matt Buckley shared a clip from a remote conferencing app purporting to show him working at his computer.
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However, the video is actually just a loop of the trickster sitting at his desk, allowing him to potter about his home while appearing to be hard at work.
The trick takes advantage of a feature on popular chat app Zoom, which many companies are turning to to hold remote meetings during the coronavirus pandemic.
The app has a "virtual background" tool that lets you create a custom backdrop for your webcam feed - including a looping video of you at your desk.
Matt told Vice: "The virtual background feature came to my attention because I love clicking around inside of new programs and seeing what’s there.
"Additionally, some younger colleagues were using the feature in a meeting the other day (mostly to hide messy rooms, apparently), and I thought it would be fun to play around with it even more.
"My wife suggested I make one where I randomly pop my head in from just off screen and then I tried the video [on Twitter]."
The fake videos run on a 10 to 15-second loop, and might show him staring with concentration at his screen, or lightly nodding his head in agreement.
According to , the cheeky trick was originally dreamt up by teens hoping to cheat the system while attending online classes.
It lets them leave their laptops running during class while they're actually texting their friends or cracking into their favourite Nintendo Switch games.
Unfortunately, anyone wanting to carry out the crafty prank will have to fork out for a subscription to Zoom Rooms.
That's Zoom's pricey paid tier, which costs £39 a month - or £468 a year.
Most businesses or schools will have already forked out for the subscription, though.
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What is Zoom?
Popular chat app Zoom is best-known for offering video calls – including with huge numbers of people.
There's a free tier with unlimited meetings, but these group chats are capped at 40 minutes.
The most expensive tier gets you meetings with up to 1,000 participants, but there are cheaper options.
Perhaps the only downside is that Zoom has had privacy issues in the past, which may put some businesses off.
How to sign up to Zoom
Signing up to Zoom is free and easy.
You just need a valid email address, and the willingness to accept Zoom's privacy policy and terms – which are fairly standard.
Anyone can sign up to Zoom by download the app, or heading to the official website.
You can find the Zoom sign-up page here:
Woman working from home accidentally livestreams herself on the toilet during team videoconference
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In other news, Zoom went down yesterday shutting off video calls around the world.
Here's how you can set up your very own Zoom call while in lockdown.
And, check out the best apps for working from home.
What do you think of Matt's prank? Let us know in the comments!
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