Recording API doesn't report transcription status

API and Webhooks
#1

Description/Error
/meetings/{meetingId}/recordings API does not give any information as to the status of a transcript and if it is still processing/completed/failed.

Which Endpoint/s?

/meetings/{meetingId}/recordings

How To Reproduce (If applicable)
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

  1. Request recording details with this api /meetings/{meetingId}/recordings
  2. The response does not say if the transcript failed or is in process

Additional context
Currently the only way to know if transcription fails is if you look at a recording through the web UI. This cannot be done through the API. You only know that it is successful if the transcript file shows up in the recording_files array in the API response. If the transcript file is not there then you are left to wonder if the transcript is still processing or if it failed.

Yes there is the webhook for the transcription to complete but if you never receive it you don’t know if it failed, if you missed it, or something else happens.

It would be great for the recording api to return a property such as “transcription_status”: “done/failed/in progress” along with the rest of the info

#2

Hey @zoom-test,

There is a status property for the GET /meetings/{meetingId}/recordings endpoint.

For example: "status": "completed"

Is it not working for recording transcripts?

Also how often is the recording failing?

If so, your best bet for now is to use the Recording Transcript Completed Webhook.

Thanks,
Tommy

#3

I can send you a DM with the exact meeting id but this is what I see for a meeting that has pretty much no audio where the transcription doesn’t process anything.

https://api.zoom.us/v2/meetings/<meetingid>/recordings

There is not a status property on the root object, but there is a status property on each recording_files object. Those don’t show up however until they are complete and you don’t get a result from this endpoint until the recording files are done processing.

For a meeting where there is no transcription (maybe there was no usable audio to transcribe) a file of type transcript never shows up in the recording_files array with some helpful status like "status": "unable to transcribe". It just doesn’t show up. Then you are left to wonder if it is still processing the transcript or if it failed. The only way to know for certain is by checking the recording’s page on the zoom.us/recording/management page where it says something helpful like “unable to transcribe” or “transcribing…”. But you can’t do that programatically in an efficient manner and if you are doing this for a customer of your app it is impossible since you don’t have permission.

Adding that same level of information to the meetings recording endpoint would be helpful. Something like:

"transcription_status":"unable to transcribe/successful/transcribing"

I understand wanting to use the webhook but the problem is how long do I wait for the webhook to come before I am forced to assume the transcription either failed or wasn’t able to transcribe anything? The webhook only notifies if it is successful, not if it failed. I think I filed a bug through Ojus around adding in a Transcription Failed event but without that or a property on the recording object to some way get the status of the transcription to know it failed I have to just wonder and wait.

1 Like
#4

Hey @zoom-test,

I agree this would be a valuable feature. I will talk to the team and see what the best solution would be. JIRA: DEVELOPERS-576

Thanks,
Tommy

#5

Hey @zoom-test,

I have talked with the team, and we believe the best solution for right now is to create a Recording Transcript Failed webhook. I will keep you updated on the development of this feature.

Thanks,
Tommy

#6

Hey @tommy,

Any updates on the progress of the Recording Transcript Failed webhook?

Thanks!

#7

Hey @zoom-test,

We have this as a feature request in our backlog ZOOM-126066. As of now, we do not have a timeline to share. I will keep you updated.

Thanks,
Tommy

#8