PulseAutomatic Zoom and Teams chat notices (for individuals)
Setting up a notice sent to chat when a Zoom or Teams meeting starts.
This setting posts a notice to the chat panel automatically when you start transcribing a Zoom or Microsoft Teams meeting. On Windows there is a single switch to turn on. On macOS you also grant accessibility permission, so that Pulse can type into the chat box.
This covers the macOS and Windows desktop apps for Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Where you join a meeting from a browser, nothing is posted to chat automatically.
This article is for turning the notice on for your own account. If you are an administrator applying it across a workspace, see Zoom and Microsoft Teams settings (for admins), which also covers granting the macOS permission in bulk through MDM.
Setting it up
There are two stages: turning the setting on, and granting accessibility permission at the system level.
- Settings > Preferences > Transparency > Automatic chat notice.
- “Automatic Zoom and Microsoft Teams chat notices” row, click “Set up” on the right.
- On the setup screen, click “Grant accessibility”.
- macOS opens System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility automatically. Switch Pulse on in the list. If it is not there, drag Pulse in from your Applications folder to add it.
- A prompt appears asking, in so many words, whether to allow Pulse to control your computer. This is the permission Pulse needs to type a message into your meeting app's chat box. Allow it.
- Back in Pulse, the setup screen changes to “Accessibility granted”.“Continue”.
- In the list, “Automatic Zoom and Microsoft Teams chat notices” switched on means you are done.
The “Automatic Zoom and Microsoft Teams chat notices” row with a “Set up” button beside it.
The Accessibility screen under Privacy & Security, with Pulse added to the list and its switch on.
The “Automatic Zoom and Microsoft Teams chat notices” row with an on/off toggle beside it.
Depending on your macOS version, this screen may live under System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility instead, and you may have to click the padlock at the bottom left to unlock it before making changes. The names of the settings differ slightly between versions too. If you cannot find it, search System Settings for “accessibility”.
Accessibility is a powerful permission: it lets Pulse operate other apps' interfaces. Pulse uses it to type the notice into your meeting app's chat box. If you do not use this feature, there is no need to grant it.
Confirm that “Automatic Zoom and Microsoft Teams chat notices” is on under Settings > Preferences > Transparency > Automatic chat notice, and, on macOS, that Pulse is switched on in the System Settings accessibility list. Run a test meeting with at least one other participant; one message posted to chat means the setup is complete.
When the message is sent
The message is sent once both of the following are true.
- Transcription has started and audio is being captured. Nothing is sent when you are the only participant.
- The Zoom or Microsoft Teams window is in the foreground. That means you have clicked the meeting app's window to make it the active one.
So if hardly anyone speaks at the start of a meeting, or you are working in another window, the message can be a little delayed. Clicking the meeting app's window once when the meeting begins makes sure it goes out.
Also, leave the meeting chat box empty. If there is already text in it, Pulse cannot send the message.
If something is not working
Q. No message is sent — confetti appears instead
A. If Loom is running at the same time, Loom's confetti keyboard shortcut can clash with Pulse's send action. Open the Loom widget, open Preferences from the three-dot menu at the top right, and disable the confetti keyboard shortcut.
Q. The meeting has started but nothing is posted
A. Check these in order. First, whether anyone else has joined. Second, whether you have clicked the meeting app's window once to bring it to the front. Third, whether there is half-typed text left in the chat box. Fourth, on macOS, whether accessibility permission is still granted (it can be revoked immediately after an app update). Fifth, whether the desktop app is up to date.
Q. Pulse does not appear in the accessibility list
A. Quit Pulse, then use the “+” at the bottom left of the accessibility screen in System Settings to add Pulse from your Applications folder. Restart Pulse afterwards and it takes effect. On a company-issued machine with an administrator configuration profile applied, changing permissions may be restricted.
Q. Does it work with Zoom or Teams in a browser?
A. This feature covers the macOS and Windows desktop apps for Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Where you join from a browser, nothing is posted to chat automatically. If you often join in a browser, consider using it alongside Watermark settings (for individuals).
Q. I cannot switch the setting off
A. Where your organisation's administrator has made the notice mandatory across the workspace, you cannot turn it off from your own settings. Check with your administrator.
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