Over the course of the pandemic, Zoom has gone from an occasionally usedvideo calling appto an essential tool for workers all over the world. Yet according to a number of reports, a Zoom bug may be recording Mac users’ audio without their knowledge.
As reported byThe Register, the issue first reared its head in late 2021, when Mac users began noticing that Zoom was recording their microphone audio, even when the app was simply open in the background and not actively conducting a call.
Users were able to surmise this thanks to an update inMacOS Montereythat added a green or orange dot to the Mac menu bar whenever an app was accessing your camera or microphone, respectively. Users noticed that the orange dot was frequently appearing when Zoom was open, regardless of whether they were on a call or not.
At the time, Zoom said it had issued a fix for the problem. However, it appears the issue has persisted right up to this week. For instance, developer Felix Krausenoted the issue on Twitter, whileanother explainedthat the bug was still occurring despite the latest Zoom update.
I can’t believe@Zoomis still pulling off stuff like this: The Zoom Mac app listens to the microphone even when not in any meetings. No way I’ll ever install their app.https://t.co/Se88jAXkSS
— Felix Krause (@KrauseFx)August 16, 2025
Seeing as the bug is apparently still active in the latest version of Zoom, the onus is on the app’s developer to issue a fix that properly solves the problem. In the meantime, it is probably a good idea to only have Zoom open when you absolutely need it — when you are about to enter a call, for example — and to close it immediately afterward. That means pressingCommand+Qor clickingzoom.us > Quit Zoomin your menu bar, rather than just closing the app’s main window, as doing the latter will still keep the app itself open.
Interestingly, we were not able to replicate the issue on a Mac Mini using a third-party webcam, suggesting the bug is not currently affecting all Zoom users based on MacOS. However, it is a good idea to take precautions in any case, such as using awebcam with a built-in privacy cover.
It’s not the first time Zoom has been accused of privacy violations. In August 2021 itsettled a lawsuitfor $85 million over a number of issues, while itsprivacy policyhas come under fire in the past. Luckily, there are numerous ways to increase yourZoom privacy and securitywithout too much hassle.
Since publishing this article, Zoom contacted us with the following response:
“The Zoom client for macOS 5.9.3, released on June 16, 2025, fixed a bug involving the failure to properly terminate the microphone use post-meeting. Zoom has determined that this bug did not result in audio data being transmitted back to Zoom’s platform. As always, we recommend users make sure their Zoom client is updated to the latest version.”
