Genius Zoom app lets you fake a bad connection to avoid boring work calls
ZOOM has become a part of everyday life for lots of people working from home and that's led to the phrase 'Zoom fatigue'.
To combat this, a new tool called "Bufferi.ng" has been popping up online with claims it can help people fake a bad video call connection so you can take a break from meetings.
The website states: "Overwhelmed by pointless video-chats, conferences and get-togethers?
"Presenting Bufferi.ng...
"Now you can deliberately stutter your webcam and glitch your sound.
"It simulates slow-downs, freeze-frames and lag on your video calls."
The website claims that the tool doesn't have a negative impact on anything else on your computer.
It also provides instructions on how to download a piece of software called .
This is software made by Snapchat.
Once the software is downloaded users are told to search for the 'too many meetings' filter and then click the screen when they want it to glitch.
This technique is said to work on Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams and any other video chat software.
Bufferi.ng creator Matt told us: "I think it's important because people need a way out of awkward and boring Zoom calls.
"There are too many meetings. In the real world we have many ways to cut social situations short. Online we haven't developed it yet."
He added that he had just received a message from a teacher in Sheffield which said: "Please shut this down, half my class have been using it to get out of giving presentations".
It's always advisable to do background research on anything you download for your computer and download from trusted well-known sources.
A few people have taken to Twitter to express their happiness about the tool's creation but reviews are people actually using the tool are hard to find.
One person tweeted: "finally, a program that fakes a bad connection on zoom calls. this is genius and far overdue."
What is Zoom?
- Popular chat app Zoom is best-known for offering video calls – including calls with huge numbers of people
- There's a free tier with unlimited meetings, but these group chats are capped at 40 minutes
- The most expensive tier gets you meetings with up to 1,000 participants, but there are cheaper options
- Perhaps the only downside is that Zoom has had privacy issues in the past, which may put some businesses off
- Signing up to Zoom is free and easy
- You just need a valid email address, and the willingness to accept Zoom's privacy policy and terms – which are fairly standard
- Anyone can sign up to Zoom by download the app, or heading to the official website
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