Observing a Meeting

How do I join a meeting as an observer? What are my options?

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Written by Jason Pearson
Updated over a week ago

Pronto allows users to share live meetings from their phone or web app. Up to ten people can broadcast together at once, and hundreds more can observe. Broadcasters can share their screens and Observers can participate using chat messages.

Observing a Meeting

When a Meeting is being broadcasted you may receive a notification alert, and the (1) Live icon will appear next to the group name, in the Drawer panel. A (2) Meeting Notification Banner will also appear at the top of the chat panel, allowing you to quickly enter the meeting. The (3) Meeting option, located in the upper-right corner of the Chat panel, can also be used to enter the meeting.

Meeting notifications.

Clicking or tapping on the Meeting banner or icon option will display the Meeting Start screen. You can continue as an observer by clicking the Continue Observing option.

If you are going to be a presenter you can use the Join option to enter the meeting, and decide if you want to use audio or video or both when you join. See the Broadcasting a Meeting topic for more information.

Meeting Start screen.

After the Meeting start screen, you will enter the meeting as an observer which will display the Observer screen.

As an observer, you can only participate using the (6) chat panel but you can still hear, view, and switch between hosts by clicking or double-tapping on the user’s video square.

Observer screen on the web app.

Observer screen on a mobile device.

  • 1. Leave the Meeting – will allow you to leave the meeting. On a mobile device you will be brought back to the groups chat screen and on the web app you will need to close the browser tab to return to the groups chat screen. If the meeting hasn’t ended the meeting banner will still be displayed allowing you to re-enter the meeting anytime.

  • 2. Join Broadcast – will allow you to enter the broadcast and become a host. Your video square will be added to the Presenter squares and you will be able to participate using either audio or video or both. See the Broadcasting a Meeting topic for more information.

  • 3. Fullscreen (Web app only) – will toggle the fullscreen option which will maximize the browser window and hide the menu and toolbars.

  • 4. Record Meeting – will allow the meeting to be recorded for later use. The icon will also change to let you know the meeting is being recorded. Once recorded, you will see a replay button inside the group’s chat panel. See the View a Recorded Meeting topic for more information.

  • 5. Layout – will allow you to toggle the live squares display:
    o Film Strip - will display live squares with one in the middle and a
    strip at the bottom.
    o Grid - will display live squares in a grid pattern.

Layout option.

  • 6. Chat Panel (web app) – is a tab that will display the chat panel from the group. You can use the message bar at the bottom to enter text messages, attachments, emoticons, and GIF animations.

Chat panel on the web app.

  • 6. Chat Panel (mobile devices) – will display the chat panel from the group. You can use the message bar at the bottom to enter text messages, take a photo with your camera, add a photo from your Photo Library, attachments, and GIF animations. You can add an emoticon to a message by tapping and holding to display the toolbar.

Chat panel on a mobile device.

Emoticons toolbar.

  • 7. Participates panel – will display exactly who is participating in the Meeting. It will show who is hosting, who is sharing their screen, and who is observing.
    o Web app only – at the top of the panel will be the Mute Everyone option.
    This will mute everyone in the meeting including the host. Be careful,
    even as an observer you still have the ability to mute everyone in the
    meeting.
    o Mobile device only – the participant option will only appear when the main
    toolbar is hidden. You can hide or unhide the toolbar by simply tapping
    the screen or waiting a few seconds.

Participants panel.

  • 8. Main Focus Live Square – will display the live square of the focused host (usually the person talking). The live square will switch between the speaking hosts as the focus changes. You can click or double-tap any live square to pin it (icon located in the upper-right corner) to the main focus live square. Then regardless of who is talking the main focus live square will not change. This is particularly beneficial when a shared screen is available.

Main Focus Live Square.

  • 9. Other Hosted Live Squares – will display each person in the Meeting that can host. If any host shares their screen a separate video square will appear for every screen shared. You can click or double-tap on any square at any time to switch to that host or their shared screen. That will also pin the square to the (8) Main Focused Live Video Square.

  • 10. Stop Receiving Audio/Video (Mobile device only) – will turn off the meetings audio or video for you only. You will not be able to hear or see any of the hosts until you turn the audio/video back on. This does not affect anyone else. Everyone still in the meeting will be able to hear and see each other.

Stop Receiving Audio/Video options.

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