Implementing User Authentication (Not App Authorization) with Existing Zoom App

Description:
I’ve already created an in-client user-managed Zoom App with this zoom template. For now,
I’m building a portal to display post-meeting data and need to implement Zoom user authentication (not app authorization). The current Third party authentication flow only prompts for app approval rather than user login. Need guidance on whether to modify my existing app or create a new OAuth app specifically for authentication.


Current Situation

  1. Existing Setup:
  • Already have a user-managed Zoom App (not OAuth app) in production
  • Using the zoomapps-advancedsample-react template
  • The template’s Auth0 integration is designed for Zoom App authorization, which isn’t what I need
  1. What I Need:
  • A clean OAuth flow that:
    • Ask users to log in with their Zoom credentials
    • Returns basic user profile (email, name, ID)
    • Doesn’t require full app approval
  • To use this purely for authentication to access my portal

Problem Encountered

When I implement the OAuth flow using:

https://zoom.us/oauth/authorize?response_type=code&client_id=MY_CLIENT_ID&redirect_uri=MY_REDIRECT_URI&state=STATE

The behavior is:

  1. No login prompt appears (users are automatically authenticated as my app’s admin account)
  2. Users only see an “Approve this app” screen
  3. Returns my (app owner’s) credentials instead of the authenticating user’s

Key Questions

  1. Can I modify my existing user-managed app to support pure user authentication?
    Or do I need to create a separate OAuth app specifically for authentication?

  2. Recommended approach for portal authentication using Zoom credentials


Additional Context

  • Portal is separate from Zoom client (not an in-Zoom app)

@elisa.zoom Would greatly appreciate your insights on this specific use case!

Hi @theochan
Thanks for reaching out to us.
When a user authorizes your app, it will prompt them to authorize the app and initiates the OAuth workflow to get the access token you need to make API requests.

Once the user approves this app, your app will be able to make API request on their behalf.

Thank you Elisa for your prompt reply

I can only login with the zoom account that owns the app. If I try to login with other accounts, it shows “Application not found” as below.

I tried many times when I put my app’s client ID and secret to OAuth information. It turns out ask me to approve the app with the app owner account. I believe I’ve done something wrong or misunderstanding the entire flow. Can you show me the correct procedures or any reference documentation for that?

FYI: it is still in development phrase, does it matter?

Btw, in this thread it mentions that zoom app that are not published can only authorize the owner. Does that mean at development phrase I am not able to user other accounts for authentication, once published I will be able to do so?

Right @theochan
This behavior is expected. Your app needs to be published in the Marketplace so 3rd party users can authorize it on their end.

Yes, at the development phase, you can not use other accounts for authentication, here is more information about this:

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Thank you Elisa again for your help :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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