Updating Zoom for macOS Solves ‘Active Mic’ Issue

If you are using Zoom on a Mac device that runs on macOS Monterey, you had better hurry to make sure your video conferencing software is updated to version 5.9.3. The platform has finally owned up to there being a bug that causes one’s microphone to remain active even after the person has left a Zoom call, meeting, or webinar on their Mac device.

Angry complaints about the issue began arriving in December 2021 after several Zoom users suddenly noticed that the orange recording indicator was still lighted up in the Control Center even though the client was not being used at the time. This indicator is a handy privacy setting implemented in Monterey designed to alert people when an application is using the microphone.

It understandably gave rise to some privacy concerns, especially since it is not the first time Zoom has had a massive privacy breach on Mac. Last year, the company faced accusations of dishonest behavior toward its users when it claimed to provide secure end-to-end encryption that was not really there.

When commenting on the issue, a Zoom spokesperson assured users that the error did not cause audio data to stream back to the platform. He also said that the Zoom 5.9.3 update released at the end of January should eliminate the bug for macOS users. It is Zoom’s second attempt to address the problem, with the earlier December 5.9.1 update failing to do the trick for everyone.

To update this software on a Mac device, launch the Zoom desktop client, click on the profile photo at the upper right corner, and pick ‘Check for Updates.’ Zoom will then automatically find and install the most recent update available.

Did you experience the above issues while using Zoom? Were you able to get rid of the bug once you had updated the app? Speak up in the comments below and share this post with your friends!