YES! We are pleased to announce that as of our most recent release you can now access ROOM via Android (Chrome browser and MS Edge browser) and iOS (Chrome and Safari). Specifically, as follows:
These are the recommended specs for all users (account holders and invitees), alike:
ANDROID: Google Chrome 100 (Recommended: Google Chrome version 108)
ANDROID: Microsoft Edge 100 (Recommended: Microsoft Edge version 108)
iOS: Google Chrome 100 or Safari ver 15.5 (Recommended: Google Chrome ver 108, Safari 16
As with desktop devices, joining a ROOM meeting is easy. It amounts to using an invitation link sent by the meeting's organizer. If you are invited to someone else's meeting, you can simply join through your Chrome, Edge or Safari browser without an account by either clicking on the meeting link (if you receive an emailed invitation to a given meeting). If you prefer instead of clicking, copy the invitation link and paste it into your browser. There's nothing to download or install.
Bear in mind that you will need an account only if you wish to invite others to your own ROOM meeting.
The first flow described here pertains to first-time users
The first screen below comprises our Mobile Landing page (featuring a short demo video), followed by...
... the Call to Action page (once you tap on the TRY button).
As soon as you enter your email address and a password, you will be immediately redirected* into the room and presented with the following popup prompting you to provide a name for your "virtual name tag" in the meeting (this keeps multiple people with the annoying default name "anonymous" from appearing in the meeting).
By tapping on the Device Settings button, you'll also have the opportunity to mute or deactivate your microphone or camera, while the Device Settings drop-down will enable you to choose something besides your default mic & camera.
*NOTE: Although an email verification email will be sent to the address that you provided, you won't be asked to confirm email addresses for one full month, so you can jump right in and start exploring! Your default room will be the New York City room.
As a first-time user, you'll find yourself inside an empty room, with a popup overlay prompting you to invite some guests. If you are joining as an invitee, you'll typically see all the participants gathered around a table (in most cases) and a closeup of yourself in a circular cutout at the top of the screen. You'll easily be able to pan the camera around the table (left or right swiping).
If you opt to "skip for now", you'll have a chance to explore the room itself, although it will likely be a lonely experience! In subsequent meetings, if you are an account holder (even a limited-time Free free plan subscriber), you will be creating meetings through the Dashboard page (more on that, later), which contains a filter-able selection of rooms, and associated info on which plans can access which rooms.
The standard way of inviting guests takes place once you're inside your room - actually, two ways... both of which use the tools at the screen's bottom.
The tools you see at the bottom are the same found in each room, irrespective of the specific room's layout, or device - desktop or mobile. These are their functions:
The first is by tapping on the "Copy Invitation Link" button, which will immediately prompt a success message to appear at the top of your screen, validating your action's success.
The second is by tapping on the "..." ("More" button) which will open a popup overlay like this, listing several more tools/commands...
... from which you will select "Participants", prompting the popup below to emerge, finally revealing the "Copy Link" button at its bottom.
Whichever method you choose to use, once the link is copied, you can paste it anywhere you like (such as a messaging app, email or a shared calendar) to invite your friends or colleagues for an imminent meeting (a.k.a. "ad hoc" meeting).
These instant meetings are very convenient and have been often compared to the quick "hallway meetings" that happen spontaneously with just a handful of colleagues stopping for a quick check-in or clarification. As such, they will not automatically appear on any calendar, nor is there a dedicated place for ROOM to keep a list of said meetings, at the moment.
NOTE: Currently there is no way to schedule meetings in the future (per a specific date/time), as the old, familiar Meet page has been omitted from this latest build. In order to ensure that ROOM's features are not limited to ad hoc (instant) meetings, our product road map includes new tools to enable scheduling, modifying and managing your list of future meetings, including integration with your favorite current brand of calendar.
In the meantime, as a meeting organizer you can create meetings and with a few more steps share them for use in the near future (30 days). This pseudo scheduling is a manual process, but actually easy:
- Create the first meeting you'd like to "schedule"
- Send out the invitation links via text app, email, etc.
- Create the second meeting you'd like to schedule (any time in the future within a 30-day threshold)
- Send out the invitation links via text app, email, etc.
This next part is critical, because you'll be juggling these two (or more) meetings...
Normally, a meeting has a shelf life of 7 days. However, if you -as the meeting's organizer - enter the meeting at any point (without your guests), even for a moment, your meeting will be granted another 7 days starting on the day that you briefly popped in!
The limit is 30 days from a given meeting's original creation. So, as long as you diligently enter your two or more meetings briefly, providing extra time, you can stagger them to match your targeted date within that 30 day limit.
As mentioned before, this is a brief workaround until ROOM's imminent release of our robust scheduling tools.
Wrapping up your first meeting
As with the end of any other meeting, all users will be presented with a brief exit poll to capture any issues, praises or feature recommendations based on each user's experience.
After completing or dismissing the exit poll, you'll be redirected to the dashboard page which will display a prominent blue banner inviting you to try our Founders' subscription plan, providing you with ongoing, preferential features among other upgrade benefits. Another article (linked to at the very end of this tutorial) will guide you through on viewing and selecting a plan.
Now that we've walked through the "first-time user's journey" let's go on to look at...
How subsequent (non-first time) meetings get started.
The next image shows what the standard landing page/sign-up screen looks like for those users who have registered/chosen a subscription plan (including the Free plan). If you happen to arrive at a different landing page (say, during a product promotion), you can always tap on the "Log In" link that will be present at the top of the page.
Once you log in you'll be directed to the Dashboard page, which is where you will spend most of your time outside of any actual meetings. Notice that here the Dashboard page is displayed without the obscuring upgrade banner.
Due to its extensive collection of meeting venues and corresponding preview cards, the Dashboard page experience will involve a bit of scrolling. Fortunately, the number of displayed meetings can be minimized to better match your requirements by using some filter buttons. More on that - further below.
Incidentally, in addition to the frequently used Dashboard page, there are two other pages that you can access to manage your ROOM business when the Dashboard page's menu is expanded:
- The Profile page (Highlighted with your name)
- Settings, which helps you manage the your subscription plans and payment method
It bears to mention that once you expand the Rooms menu at the page's upper right, you'll notice that the Dashboard page is selected from the icon labeled "Rooms", not "Dashboard", as seen below. This was meant to help users associate the Dashboard page with the wealth of meeting rooms that it contains.
Here we have the Dashboard page scrolled just past the "Most Used" section, revealing the aforementioned filters to help you minimize the displayed rooms to better match your intended use.
Once you choose a room (as a meeting organizer) you'll be taken to the room loading in progress and presented with an overlay prompting you for a meeting name to associate your video cutout, as well as providing you with a chance to change your default devices (mic & camera) if you so wish. Your invitees will eventually undergo the same popup before entering.
When you enter the meeting room, you'll see your own real-time video as a "head cutout" at the very top of the page. Every person in the meeting has a respective image of this type, which remains invisible to the other guests. The meeting camera's (your camera) default view will be looking toward another participant(s) in their default seats.
If you swipe your finger Left/Right across the screen to move the camera around the table, you'll eventually come across your own full-sized video cutout occupying its default-assigned seat. Your head cutout will disappear from the top of the screen as your full-sized cutout comes into view.
Regardless of whether your full cutout or the head cutout is visible on your screen, the next steps will guide you through the process of inviting guests. The first and most accessible method is via the blue "Copy Invitation Link", whose tool tip is labeled "Participants".
Selecting it will copy the room's auto-generated link to your clipboard, and open a message conveying this action's success as well as prompting you to share said link (you are not limited to chats as the message suggests).
The second way involves selecting the "..." ("More") icon, which opens up...
...the Participants' popup, seen here with just your name on it, as the only current participant. Notice that it also reminds you of the maximum number of participants you can invite. Tap on the Copy link and you'll be ready to paste it in any medium that you'd like to use to share: email, text messaging apps, etc. You can encourage your invitees to copy the link onto their personal calendars, as ROOM does not currently have the ability to do this automatically.
As was mentioned earlier in this tutorial, ROOM currently has no way of managing the invitations as a calendar-like application might. For this reason, the meeting links created are meant to be used as ad hoc, or imminent meetings, not events scheduled in the future. Not having calendar-like tools also preempts users from modifying the event (like changing the date or time).
So, if you change your mind about the feasibility of the meeting (due to attendance conflicts, guest list alternates, need for a larger room, etc.), disregard the original meeting and simply create a new meeting in the room of your choice.
Of course, before you send out the new invitation link you'll have to reach out to the previous invitees to let them know about the preempted meeting (sometimes sending a single message with the new link included will suffice, as is usually the case for rescheduled team meetings).
A few more things about the Dashboard page
Next, we have the Dashboard's view once you scroll all the way down, regardless of whether filters have been applied or not. The take away of this view is that the page's bottom contains key links pertaining to business and foe help. Both the "Help Center" link and the "?" icon in a circle will take you to our Help Center page where you can find FAQs, and numerous well-illustrated, step-by-step tutorials for all levels of ROOM users. You can also create a Help Support ticket from the page's menu.
The "?" icon contains a second item for our users, as displayed here. You'll notice that, regardless of what screen you're on or how much you'll scroll, it will persistently stay in a fixed point at the bottom of your screen. Once you click on the icon it will open and display the above-mentioned "Help Center" link as well as a "Request a Demo" link (usually used by corporate users).
The Help Center's landing page is relatively uncluttered. You'll be able to access all the illustrated tutorials by clicking on the ROOM3D box, to find direction on subjects ranging from "How to join a meeting" to "ROOM technical requirements", navigation, tools and keyboard commands, account subscriptions/management, as well as numerous troubleshooting topics. Please note that currently, most tutorial articles are for desktop users.
Now that we've explored the Dashboard page, let's review the second of ROOM's three pages, the Profile page, which is designated by your name on the menu, as shown below. Selecting this menu link will redirect you to...
... The Settings page's Account tab, where you can modify your profile photo, your name and your email address. We'll start by modifying the photo currently shown (although a first-time user would normally be starting with a "blank photo icon"). Tap on the "Upload" button next to the photo/icon...
... to take you to the photo upload screen. Once you do so you'll be able to adjust the size and orientation of your photo before you commit to your changes (a preview will be displayed throughout the photo adjustment process).
Once you select "Save", you'll be redirected back to the Settings page and notified with a brief message conveying your success.
For changing your name or your email address, the process is practically identical, starting with selecting the "Edit" button.
In changing your name, it's very straightforward; in contrast to editing your email address, which will require a validation email to be sent to your email account, requiring your response for final acceptance.
The Settings page also has a "License" tab (adjacent to the "Account" tab) from which you can view and manage your current license subscription as well as other plans being offered. When you select it you'll be taken to the following screen, highlighting your current plan, which happens to be the Basic (free) plan.
Scrolling down, the Founders' plan comes into view...
... followed by the Power plan and Pro plan.
Breaking down the plans
- The Basic (free) plan’s features represent ROOM's introductory plan including: unlimited meetings with up to 60 minutes’ duration each, choice of many unique rooms, and the ability to host up to 4 participants. Of course, group chat with file sharing (normally reserved for the paid plans) are part of the Basic package.
- The Founders’ plan, a limited-time offer with unique amenities that will not be provided in future single-user premium plans, allows subscribers to create unlimited meetings from many unique rooms plus exclusive Founder rooms with up to 16 participants, each meeting with a time limit of 24 hours’ duration.
Concerning the paid Founder’s plan, it’s important to know that, as a subscription-based service, your ROOM plan renews every month. You can cancel your subscription at any time during your plan term to cancel the auto-renewal of your subscription. Additionally, if you cancel before the end of a given month, you can continue to use ROOM with all Founder's privileges until the last day of that month.
3. The Power plan, also featured on the Plan Selection Page, is not available for immediate subscription, as it will eventually take the Founders' plan's place when its limited time offer expires. As such, its features will include unlimited meetings for up to 24 hours duration each, the ability to host up to 20 participants as well as to hide ROOM'S default branding.
4. The Pro plan, priced and demo'd upon inquiry, comprises ROOM's large organizational solution for more ambitious communication needs, offering a selection of features that includes all Pro plan benefits, as well as the ability to create custom branding for your rooms, and "Infinity rooms" - persistent meeting venues that allow you to save current progress made for the next meeting.
In order to illustrate the process of subscribing to a new plan, we'll guide you through the selection of the Founders' plan, which is identical regardless of whether you select the subscription option via the Blue banner's Call to Action button or through the Settings/License screen.
If you proceed down the Setting License screen and select the "Start 14-day Trial" button, the system will take a moment to redirect you to the appropriate transaction screens, as shown below.
Once a secure connection has been established; the first of the data entry screen will be presented, starting with your location. The next screen will start the payment method information collection.
As Mentioned above, any of the Call to Action buttons that you use (such as the ones on the ROOM website landing page, below), will eventually lead you to the same online transaction forms associated with the subscription plan that you choose.
To expedite your journey into ROOM mobile, we've added a final section providing you some tips regarding navigation, tools and keyboard commands, below.
Navigating and Interacting your way through ROOM
All of the tools described in this section are used exclusively in-meeting. They can be divided into:
- NAVIGATION: changing what you see on your monitor and getting around the meeting room
- INTERACTION: with other guests and in-room devices
- TOOLS: icon tools (from the bottom tool tray)
For clarity, it bears to mention that there are certain tools that ROOM desktop browser users have that are slightly different or omitted for optimizing your experience on mobile. Here are a few:
- Unlike ROOM desktop, changing/getting out of the seat on mobile has been disabled. This impacts related features, such as walking, running, and teleporting.
- Switching/toggling speaker works differently than desktop. For reference, tapping or clicking on a person within your screen's field of view will draw the camera in closer to that person. Toggling using the upper headshot selection to focus the camera on a person that is currently out of frame, bringing his/her corresponding cutout into view.
- The so-called "persistent tool tray" icons at the bottom of the every meeting room screen is not exactly persistent; it goes away when not in use for a while (although it can be summoned back into view at will), and the layout is a bit more compact in mobile than on desktop, having streamlined/consolidated some tools together.
- Screen Share has been omitted on mobile (a mobile user cannot initiate a Screen Share session, but can certainly see a Screen Share initiated by any guests using their desktop browsers in the meeting).
Let's look at some particulars:
The desktop browser version of the in-meeting bottom tool tray:
The mobile browser version of the in-meeting bottom tool tray in contrast, is more compact, especially in light of the omitted Screen Share icon:
When all the streamlining is considered, these are the remaining key in-meeting features for mobile users:
NAVIGATION:
Screen's view change (camera zoom & pan) can be accomplished by swiping (panning) and pinching (zooming).
TOOLS:
Tool Tray as seen above is somewhat more compact than its desktop counterpart. Also, in order to streamline your mobile screen's appearance, it will first appear upon entering the meeting, then fade away soon thereafter. By tapping once anywhere on the screen you can get it to appear again at will.
- Devices: "Toggle Camera and/or mic on and off" has its own dedicated buttons on the tool tray's left, while the "Device Settings" action is accessible via the "..." ("More") popup list; this is the same control selection that users see when first arriving in rooms).
- Report a Problem: also under the "..." icon, opens up an overlay form that you can use to report any issues to our support team.
- Open Chat: This button will open a chat tool that the entire team has access to, including features like file uploads and emojis.
- Copy Invitation: As previously discussed, this button provides the meeting organizer the ability to copy an auto-generated meeting link to share with potential invitees by manually pasting onto a chat thread, email, etc.
- More "..." button: Allows you to Open the Participants list (which, in turn contains a "Copy Link" at the bottom, Report a Problem (online form), and manage your Device Settings. Unlike ROOM Desktop version, Screen Share is not available, and Full Screen is only available for the iPad, Android Phones and Android tablets (but not for the iPhone). Finally, the abridged Manual (Tips) popup has been omitted.
INTERACTION:
Focus on Screen/Tablet/Interactive props
Tap on a wall-mounted screen, a standing white board to engage in various activities, including games, experiments and white boards. Interactive objects will highlight in yellow when you toggle/swipe over them, putting them in your "crosshairs" before you make your selection.
Switch Speaker
Your ROOM meeting will start with a default group shot/wide view. You can pinch with 2 fingers to Zoom closer to the speaker/s within view or you can tap on a particular person to instantly change your camera’s framing and focus onto him/her.
Toggle speaker focus
To immediately change focus to a speaker outside your camera’s view (frame) or to quickly toggle between speakers, just tap on the desired person’s Top Bar video.
Adjust your overhead "head video":
This feature lets you adjust your video's brightness, position and scale. Simply tap on your "head video" at the top of the screen, then use the tools that emerge to edit/enhance its appearance.
Responsive (landscape orientation) on Mobile
ROOM on mobile features responsive designs, or the ability to automatically orient itself into a sideways/landscape layout.
It's highly desirable and quite practical to work in this orientation, since your screen will show an optimal amount of space, enabling you to see more participants in frame without having to zoom out or pan around.
Although the example shown here features a medium-sized room, larger meetings might become more challenging to visually adjust for, especially during rapid-fire conversations which are not uncommon in business meetings.
A final word
These help tutorials are constantly being updated as our team integrates more features into ROOM. Links are also often added to the end of each article to ease your way to find them. Check back often at our Help Center if you have an issue, or any questions that you can't resolve by searching through our articles and FAQs. We're always glad to hear from you if you have some praise or feature request, too! : https://room3d.zendesk.com/hc/en-us