Zoom has invaded the web page too

• Link to Zoom has invaded the web page too podcast on anchorfm

So I am finishing a responsive semantic html5 resume for the Web Design 1 class I am teaching, and I wanted to add my cell phone number in the resume footer. This is not so much for me as for the students, so that potential employers could call them on their cell phones.

I am on a Mac, and I have an iPhone, so the ideal situation for me would be for the other person to also be on a Mac and have an iPhone so they could call from either the iPhone or the Mac.

But when I set up the telephone call link using the anchor (a) element, and I did it in the following way:

<a href="“tel:+1-xxx-xxx-xxxx”" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"
    >1-xxx-xxx-xxxx</a
>

I was not directed to Face Time, but asked whether I wanted to use zoom for the call. What??? Enough already with zoom.

Everyone is zoom crazy. How did that happen? I guess I wouldn’t say that if I didn’t have Blackboard for teaching. I guess I would use zoom for work outside of that. But I just didn’t like the idea that from nowhere, I didn’t even have zoom open, I was being directed by default to zoom and not to my native Face Time.

I finally figured out, however, how to avoid this. I changed the anchor element markup to the following:

<a href="“tel:+1-xxx-xxx-xxxx”" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"
    >Click to call</a
>

Instead of the text content of the anchor element containing a phone number, I changed it to “Click to call”. The rest I kept the same. I also did not use Chrome. Chrome makes you sign in in order to make the call. Enough already!

When I use the native Safari browser, however, it just opens the Face Time app and gives you the option to call the number that you have supplied. Naturally, it detects that the device you are calling is an Apple device.

Then I tried yet something else because I wanted to provide the same experience across browsers. I replaced my iPhone number with my Google Voice number. Then I added the Google Voice number as the text content for the anchor element. No more zoom invasions. It must be that I probably provided my cell phone number to zoom when I signed up, and it then detects your number and automatically links to your number being called from your device to zoom. I am guessing, but I am sure that is the case. Honestly, I don’t even remember, but I am sure I did provide my cell phone number.

So much technology on the web has changed in so little time. And so many applications, like zoom for example, are so invasive. And not even necessary for Apple devices, for instance! Does everything HAVE to be recorded and saved afterwards? Is anything private anymore? The line between private life and work has disappeared with the advent of COVID 19.

Everyone, get the damn vaccination and get back at least part of your life. Protect yourself in the process as much as you can. I have already gotten the first shot and will soon be getting the second. The minute I was invited to take it, I ran for it. I personally am fed up with the current state of affairs, and nothing is working properly. Nothing.

I will be embedding this episode of Plugging in The Holes along with a transcript in the form of a post on interglobalmedianetwork.com for your hearing and reading pleasure. Bye for now!

Related Resources

• zoom