Zoom Updates

Bookmark this post to stay up to date on the latest features for your USC Zoom account. If you have any questions on the information you find on this page, please contact ITS Support.

This page will detail major updates impacting USC. For a full listing of all Zoom updates, see the following links on the Zoom website:

NOTE: Please ensure your Zoom client is always updated with the latest version for the best user experience. 

New Features

April 2021

Immersive View

Recreate the feel of your class or conference room by placing video participants onto a single virtual background. Participants are automatically placed onto provided scenes, but the host can upload their own custom background and adjust the arrangements as needed. This requires client version 5.6.3 or higher and works best when using Virtual Background, but not required. For more information, see https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360060220511-Immersive-View.

March 2021

Updates for USC HIPAA Zoom Accounts

Faculty, doctors, researchers and others that discuss patient information via Zoom should be using Zoom accounts that meet the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements. ITS provides these accounts to schools and units that need them and, per a request from our partners at the Keck Medicine of USC  and USC University Hospital with additional guidance from the Office of the Chief Information Security Officer, will be making a series of changes to these accounts on Wednesday, March 24.

  • HIPAA ZOOM Personal Meeting IDs (PMI) To Be Discontinued On Wednesday, March 24, ITS will discontinue the use of Zoom personal Meeting IDs (PMI) for HIPAA Zoom accounts. Once this feature is disabled, account holders will need to edit any meetings previously scheduled through their PMI to update the meeting ID and new meeting invitations will need to be sent to all meeting invitees. For additional information, see our documentation on how to update your meetings.
  • Mandatory Waiting Rooms Enabled for HIPAA Zoom Accounts On Wednesday, March 24, ITS will remove teh ability to bypass Zoom meeting waiting rooms for people that are signed into Zoom using usc-hipaa.zoom.us accounts. After this change, every person joining a HIPAA Zoom meeting will enter the waiting room and need to be admitted to the meeting by the meeting host or co-host.
  • HIPAA Zoom Accounts Require Encryption for 3rd Party Devices (SIP/H.323) After Wednesday, March 24,when this setting is selected, Polycom conference room systems (SIP/H.323 devices) will be required to use encryption when dialing into the meeting. For more information, please contact Zoom Support.

We appreciate your attention to and patience with these changes to USC HIPAA Zoom accounts. It is our hope that these updates will ensure the continued security and safety of USC’s faculty, doctors, staff and patients when discussing HIPAA-protected information.

February 2021

Edit your Display Name in Zoom to Reflect Your Preferred Name and Pronouns

Now you can change your display name in your Zoom settings to accurately reflect your preferred name and pronouns.

  1. Visit usc.zoom.us and click Sign in.
  2. Sign in using your USC NetID and password.
  3. Click Profile.
  4. Select Edit to the right of your name.
  5. Edit the Display Name.
  6. Select Save Changes.

Timeouts due to Inactivity Eliminated

The Zoom Client Inactivity timer is now disabled for USC Zoom accounts. It was previously set to 120 minutes.

New Background Option: Blurred Background

Users can now choose to blur their background rather than selecting a specific virtual background, providing added privacy when a branded background is unavailable or unnecessary.

For information on changing your Zoom background, see https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/210707503-Virtual-Background

New Waiting Room/Breakout Room Features

Meeting hosts can now admit participants to the meeting from the waiting room while within a breakout room.

Meeting hosts will be notified of participants in the waiting room, even while currently in a breakout room. The host can admit each participant one at a time, or all at once. If pre-assignments for breakout rooms are active, participants will be asked to join their pre-assigned breakout rooms. Otherwise, the host can assign participants directly to the breakout room of their choosing.

Poll Reports Now Available during Live Session

The meeting or webinar host will now have the option to download full poll results when a poll has ended during the live Zoom session, rather than waiting until the meeting ends. This will launch their browser and begin the download of the CSV poll report.

For more information on using polls in your Zoom meetings, see https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/213756303-Polling-for-meetings.

December 2020

Zoom Meetings for Spring 2021 Courses

ITS will be automatically creating Zoom meetings for spring 2021 courses beginning on Wednesday, January 6. These courses will be available to faculty in Blackboard by Monday, January 11.

If you are a faculty member that would like to opt out of these automatically generated Zoom sessions, please contact your department’s scheduling coordinator by Friday, January 1.

Self-Joining Breakout Rooms

The host can now create breakout rooms with the option for participants to self-select which breakout room they would like to join. If enabled, participants can move freely between breakout rooms without the host’s help. Both the meeting host and participants need to be on Client 5.3.0 or later to self-select Breakout Rooms. Co-hosts have the same breakout room controls as the meeting host, such as starting or ending breakout rooms, assigning participants, etc.

For more information, visit the Zoom website or attend an upcoming Zoom training session.

New Security Procedures

There is now an option in the Zoom Security panel to immediately suspend all participant activities, which will mute all video and audio, stop screen sharing, end all breakout rooms, and pause recording.

For more information, visit the Zoom website or attend an upcoming Zoom training session.

Calendly for Zoom 1-on-1 Meetings tool

When you connect your Zoom account with Calendly, video conferencing is made simple. Choosing Zoom as your event location will automatically create video conference details and save them to your Calendly event. Providing your invitees instant access to these details will save you time and help reduce meeting no-shows. Once an event is scheduled, the Zoom details will be automatically included in the confirmation notifications and calendar event sent to your invitees.


For more information, attend an upcoming Zoom training session.

October 2020

Live Transcription

Zoom has provided USC with an opportunity to participate in the early release of live transcription for Zoom meetings. This service will transcribe spoken voice to text live during the meeting and will assist in better supporting students and other meeting participants who need special accommodations.

  • This feature enables a live transcription service to show a caption transcription the side panel of the meeting window.
    • NOTE: This feature is currently not available to the general public; USC is the recipient of the early release of live transcription.
  • Live transcription is made possible through artificial intelligence; we expect the transcription accuracy to be consistent with services such as rev.com or otter.ai.
  • The service is approved by the Office of the Chief Information Security Officer and meets USC information security standards.
  • Statement from USC’s Disability Services and Programs (DSP) office on Zoom’s live transcription feature.
  • Documentation on how to use live transcription with Zoom is available at keepteaching.usc.edu.

Participant Self-select for Breakout Rooms

You can now create breakout rooms with the option for meeting participants to self-select which breakout room they would like to join.

  • If enabled, your participants can move freely between breakout rooms, without needing your help.
  • Both the meeting host and participants need to be on using the Zoom Client software 5.3.0 or later to use this feature.
  • For additional information on managing breakout rooms, see the Zoom website.

Share PowerPoints as a Virtual Background  


You can now display PowerPoint slides as your Zoom virtual background.

  • Select a PowerPoint file to use as your virtual background and you will be able to move through the slides using the left and right arrows.
  • This option is under Share Screen in the advanced options.
  • This is currently a beta feature.
  • For more information, see the Zoom website.