How the setting works
When join before host is off, which is the default on many accounts, a guest who opens the link early sees a holding message or is told the meeting has not started. They can only enter once the host starts it from their own account. When it is on, the meeting opens as soon as the first person arrives, and guests are in the meeting itself, with cameras and microphones as they set them, until the host appears.
Some platforms let the host choose a window, such as allowing guests in a few minutes before the scheduled time, or at any time. Others tie the setting to whether a passcode or waiting room is in use. Check the meeting settings in your own account, because the exact options vary.
When join before host is useful
The setting exists for good reasons. It removes the host as a bottleneck, which matters most when the meeting is informal and the people joining already know each other. It tends to suit these situations:
- Recurring team calls, where colleagues chat informally while waiting.
- Meetings where a co-host or colleague, not the account owner, opens the session.
- Small, trusted groups where nobody needs to be screened at the door.
- Situations where the host may be a few minutes late and guests can begin without them.
When to leave it off
For public or larger events, join before host usually causes more problems than it solves. Early arrivals land in an unhosted meeting with nobody managing it, which can mean awkward silence, unexpected screen sharing or someone unwanted taking the floor. The first impression of the event becomes whatever happens to be on screen before you arrive. It can also affect how the meeting is recorded and who holds host controls when you join.
For a client webinar, a town hall or a launch, most hosts prefer guests to wait somewhere deliberate and enter only when the event is ready to begin.
A better waiting experience
The real need behind join before host is usually that guests should not hit a dead end when they arrive early. A branded waiting room meets that need without opening the meeting. Guests see the host's name, a message that the host will be joining shortly, a countdown and an add-to-calendar button, and the meeting stays closed until the host is ready.
This is how BrandedRooms handles the start. Guests wait in your branded lobby. You start the meeting in your meeting app as host, then press Start the room, and every waiting guest's page switches to the live meeting by itself, joined muted. Most hosts can leave join before host off.
If guests see meeting has not started
In a branded room, this message nearly always means the meeting itself was not started in the meeting app as host before Start the room was pressed. The fix is to start the meeting there first, then press Start the room again. Turning join before host on also removes the message, but it lets guests into the meeting before you arrive, so use it only when that is acceptable.