Inconsistent Transcription and AI Summary Availability Despite Recording in Zoom Phone API is ON

[Jessica_Nicole]

Hi Zoom Developer Community,

I’m currently investigating inconsistencies in transcription availability for Zoom Phone calls and would appreciate clarification on expected behavior.

Questions

1. Is transcription strictly dependent on cloud recording availability?
   Or can it be generated independently like AI call summaries?

2. Are there minimum duration or audio quality thresholds required for transcription?

3. In multi-leg call flows (queue → extension), where should transcription be expected?

   • At the queue recording level only?

   • Or should it propagate to the final call leg?

4. For PSTN calls, is recording (and therefore transcription) expected to be disabled by default?

5. What are the exact conditions where:

   • recording_id exists

   • ai_call_summary_id exists

   • BUT transcription is still not generated?

[gianni.zoom (Gianni)]

Hi @Jessica_Nicole ,

@Jessica_Nicole

Is transcription strictly dependent on cloud recording availability?
Or can it be generated independently like AI call summaries?

Yes cloud recording has to be on for transcription to occur because it is associated with a recording id value. Here are the support articles to check settings for phone recordings:

Managing Zoom Phone automatic call recording settings

Managing Zoom Phone ad hoc recording settings

Depending on your recording settings

@Jessica_Nicole

Are there minimum duration or audio quality thresholds required for transcription?

Not to my knowledge or through available documentation.

@Jessica_Nicole

In multi-leg call flows (queue → extension), where should transcription be expected?

• At the queue recording level only?
• Or should it propagate to the final call leg?

It should propagate to the following call leg so you use the relevant call id. Please see these guides on call history and logs:

Understand Zoom Phone call history - Phone - Zoom Developer Docs

Understand Zoom Phone call logs - Phone - Zoom Developer Docs

@Jessica_Nicole

For PSTN calls, is recording (and therefore transcription) expected to be disabled by default?

I haven’t confirmation on this although I see recording is possible withPSTN for Zoom Contact Center so this feature may be present with Zoom Phone as well. This would be a great question to get some input from Zoom Community which is more encompassing of end-product behavior https://community.zoom.com/

@Jessica_Nicole

What are the exact conditions where:

• recording_id exists
• ai_call_summary_id exists
• BUT transcription is still not generated?

If Zoom Phone transcriptions are not enabled via the settings guidance from the first two support articles I shared. However if you’re referring to the live transcription feature, those are not retained after the call ends.