American Sign Language- Zoom 101 instructions for iPhone & iPad

Interpretation by James Smith, Certified Deaf Interpreter

How to Install Zoom on an iPhone and iPad

Video by James Smith, Certified Deaf Interpreter
Transcript by Julie K Balassa, Certified Hearing Interpreter

Hello. I’m James Smith. This is my name sign. I am going to teach you how to install and use Zoom on your iPhone or iPad. The process is the same for both devices. I will show you the whole process so you can follow along with me easily. Ready?

This is the App Store icon. Look for it on your iPhone or iPad. When you find it, tap it. When the Apple Store opens, you will see this screen. Tap “Search” at the bottom right. Then type “Zoom” into the Search field. You will see a list of Zoom options. Tap “the zoom app for iPhone”. Or, on an iPad, tap “the zoom app for iPad”. The process is the same for both iPhone and iPad. When you see “ZOOM Cloud Meetings, tap “Install”. On my iPhone it shows a cloud because I already installed it.. If you have not installed Zoom yet, you will see “Install’, not a cloud.

When you see the word “OPEN”, Zoom has downloaded and installed on your iPhone or iPad.

The people who invited you to join a Zoom meeting will give you the Meeting ID and Passcode (same as Password). To “Join a Meeting, type the Meeting ID they gave you into the Meeting ID field. Make sure the Meeting ID you type is exactly the same as the Meeting ID they gave you. “Screen Name” is your name. For example, John Smith. When you see the blue “Join”, you are ready to join the meeting. But first, make sure Audio and Video are off. Green means they are on. White means they are off. This is important because you do not want the other people in the meeting to hear and see you until you are ready. If you only want to sign and you want the interpreter to voice for you, your audio should always be off.

Before you join the Zoom meeting, check your background. If there is a window behind you, the light through the window might make it hard for the interpreter to see you. It is better for you to be in front of a wall than a window. When you are ready, tap Join.

Next, type the passcode they gave you where it says, “Please enter your meeting passcode”. The passcode might be numbers and/or letters. Be very careful that the passcode you type exactly the same as the passcode they gave you. Pay attention to capital letters and lower-case letters because the passcode is case sensitive. If the passcode you type is not the same as the passcode they gave you, you will have to type it again. When you have typed the passcode, tap “Continue”. Then you will be in the Zoom meeting.

Don’t worry if you see the messages, “Your microphone is muted”, “Your video is stopped.

That is for safety reasons. Swipe your screen.

Notice that your picture is not visible because your camera is off. You can tell because the camera icon has a read line across it. When you tap the camera icon, your camera will turn on.

It’s best to have your phone in landscape mode, not portrait mode. If your phone is in portrait mode, your picture and signs will be too small. In landscape mode, your picture is wider, you have more room to sign, and you and the interpreter can see each other better.

If you have any questions, contact me. I’m always happy to answer your questions. Have a good day.

For Sign Language Interpreting Services, click here.

To contact James Smith, Certified Deaf Interpreter, email Jamesiscdi@gmail.com