[Mac] Zoom logged out when opening meeting directly from link

[machine617]

This occurs only when the application is 'quit' (i.e. not currently running, completely quit).

If I open up zoom by itself, it goes through the normal opening steps and it remembers my login credentials.  But if instead of clicking on the zoom app icon to open and instead I open Zoom via a meeting link, it will be 'logged out' and I then have to go through the login steps again.

Here is a 1 minute video of the issue, it is 100% reproducible:

https://www.loom.com/share/fbb561eaac87425a900f6dc3cd25f3d4

Steps:
1) open the zoom mac app
2) login with google credential
2.a) 'keep me signed in' option checked
3) verify that I stay logged in through quitting and reopening zoom
4) quit zoom
5) open a link to a meeting
5.a) this launches the zoom mac app
RESULT --> will open meeting without using the logged in user
EXPECTED --> should open meeting with logged in user

[CarlaA]

Hi @machine617 , thank you for your contribution to the Zoom Community!

Can you confirm that you have tried to uninstall, reboot your device, reinstall Zoom, and update your browser? 

This will help us know the troubleshooting steps you have taken thus far. 

Thank you in advance!

Carla,
Zoom Community Team

[machine617]

Yes, many times, across many different machines and now, for many years.  This is just how zoom always has worked on mac.

[Professor_Zoom]

@machine617 I've not been able to replicate exactly what you are seeing, but did notice a difference in behavior depending on whether or not you are logged into the Zoom portal using your default web browser.  Can you tell us which version of the Zoom client you are using, and whether or not you are logged into the Zoom portal with the same account that you are logged into the Zoom client with?

Thanks!

[machine617]

Hello @Professor_Zoom 

You may be on to something with the portal, I went ahead and did some test and this is what I found:

1) If I am actively logged in to an open tab on the zoom.us portal, then clicking a meeting link that then opens the app from a 'quit' state will enter the meeting logged in
2) However, if I 'close' the portal tab (without quitting the browser entirely) and then open the meeting link it resumes the 'logged out' state of opening the zoom meeting.
3) I noticed that simply closing the browser portal tab is enough to 'log me out' of the browser portal regardless of the 'keep me logged in checkmark'


Here is a short video of the test steps above: https://www.loom.com/share/701597b39d434a3890dee929cc90ca1c

To answer your questions, yes I am logged into the same account on the zoom portal and the client.  Version numbers below: 

Zoom Client: Version: 5.15.3 (20121)
Chrome: Version 114.0.5735.248 (Official Build) (arm64)
Mac: 13.4.1 (c) (22F770820d)

[Professor_Zoom]

@machine617 I agree that requiring the user to be logged into the portal may not be ideal, but it seems that when you click a link to launch from a browser, the Zoom login information from the browser itself is used within the client to join the meeting.  I am going to see if I can find out if this is by design, or in fact not the way it was intended to function.

Regardless, that is the way it works currently, so to help you in the short term, we need to get to the bottom of why you're logged out of the Zoom portal when you close that tab.  I believe that this probably has to do with the cookie settings in Chrome.  I don't know if you are able to modify these settings (some corporations have this locked down), but if you can, you might check these settings.  Under Chrome settings/Privacy and Security/Cookies and Other Site Data, mine has the default setting of "Block third party cookies", and it seems to work fine.  If I block all cookies, it won't load the sign-in page at all.  And, if I block all, but add an exception for zoom.us, it works and retains my login creds after closing the browser.  I guess if all else fails, a Chrome "Reset settings" might correct the issue, but I know that is painful.  Hopefully one of these options gets Chrome saving your Zoom login creds as it should.

[machine617]

@Professor_Zoom any insight from whether or not the browser client information being used to open the app is by design or a bug that can be fixed?

I tried every iteration of chrome settings and changes, including reset and across multiple mac devices.  No change, just never able to stay logged in on the client

Thanks again for your help

[Professor_Zoom]

@machine617 I still haven't been able to find out if this behavior is by design or not.  I will keep checking though.

For Chrome, can you verify that under Settings/Privacy and security/Cookies and other site data, that the setting "Clear cookies and site data when you close all windows" is disabled?