Seems promising but needs work
Meet Hour seems like it has promise and is fairly easy to use with some nice conferencing features, but has quite a few bugs that make it hard to use at the current state. I like the fact they have a desktop app but it does not work on a Mac. I get an error message when trying to open it that it is out of date and will not open, so I had to use the browser version. There seems to be some issues with camera settings and when you come back from a screen share, it does not remember the camera setting and once you click into the program again, it will not let you change the camera. You can kind of do that from the hamburger menu at the lower right in the settings button, but even then it will not let you select anything other than the current camera even from the drop-down menu, although if you fiddle with it a bit it seems to change even though it does not indicate that it did. There is a button in the upper right-hand corner that appears to be a PIP setting, but when clicked, it totally boots you out of the session you are in, and you need to log back in. In my case, I was the only one in the session as I was just trying it out, but I got an error message saying the moderator had locked the session and I needed to insert the passcode to get back in. I also could not figure out how to see my screen share in the main window, so I could only see it in a tiny window off to the side, but I assume that if there were other participants, they would see a full window. I think it has potential, but it is definitely not a Zoom replacement at this point. EDIT: It appears that many of these problems go away when you use the browser application in a Chromium-based browser - something that is not stated in the description as far as I can tell. I tend to prefer Firefox, but many applications like seem to work only in Chromium-based browsers, which I find annoying since you limit your audience to only one type of browser. The Mac desktop application still does not work after downloading and installing it again.
Muqeet_MeetHour
Oct 22, 2024Dear The_Groundwater_Guy,
Thank you for your detailed feedback and for showing interest in the Meet Hour deal. Let me clarify each point to help you better understand the platform:
Mac Desktop App:
The issue you're encountering is not an error but related to how macOS handles apps downloaded from external sources. For user convenience, we provide a .dmg file that you can download directly to your desktop. Since macOS only trusts applications from the App Store or identified developers, you’ll need to grant installation permissions manually. You can follow the steps in our knowledge base to resolve this: Guide to granting installation permissions on macOS.
Camera Settings during Screen Share:
When screen sharing, Meet Hour automatically turns off your camera to save bandwidth and optimize performance, especially on systems with lower computational power. However, you can always re-enable the camera after sharing. Additionally, if you’ve previously granted camera and microphone permissions, the system won’t ask you again unless you’ve selected temporary permissions. It’s best to select “Always allow” to avoid repeated prompts.
Picture-in-Picture (PiP) Mode:
PiP allows you to keep your camera view in a smaller window that you can move around the screen. It should not log you out of the session. If you’re experiencing issues with being logged out, could you please record a session and share the video with us? This will help us better understand the problem and resolve it quickly.
Passcode & Meeting Links:
When you schedule a meeting, our system automatically generates a link with an embedded passcode (pcode). If you use this link, attendees won’t need to manually enter a passcode. If you're copying a meeting link without the embedded pcode, it will ask for the password. You can ensure you're using the correct link by checking the invitation or the scheduled meeting.
Browser Compatibility:
Meet Hour supports all major browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Edge. There’s no limitation on the browser you use with Meet Hour, so feel free to use the one that works best for you.
We hope this clears up your concerns, and we’re excited for you to explore the platform. We also have a knowledge base and tutorial videos available to help you get more familiar with our features. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions or need further assistance.
Best regards,
Meet Hour Team
www.meethour.io