Huddle Video Conferencing Overview

Explore key features and benefits of Huddle Video Conferencing to enhance your virtual collaboration and connectivity.

Written By Sara Mosher (Super Administrator)

Updated at February 12th, 2026

Huddle is net2phone’s built-in video conferencing tool. It lets you meet face-to-face, collaborate in real time, and connect with coworkers or external guests—directly from the net2phone desktop app or a web browser.

You can start a Huddle meeting instantly, schedule a call in advance, or join using a shared meeting link.

Start or join a Huddle

You can start a Huddle at any time from the net2phone app. When you start a meeting, a secure meeting room is created automatically.

To join a Huddle, you can:

Click a shared meeting link
Join directly from the net2phone app
Dial in by phone using the provided dial-in number and PIN

External guests do not need a net2phone account to join a Huddle.

Example: Huddle open in right panel in the net2phone desktop app, with Chrome permission popup.

How Huddle works in the net2phone app

In the net2phone app, Huddle opens inside the platform so you can meet without switching tools. Additionally, you can also expand Huddle into its own browser window at any time. Open Huddle, as its own app, provides the same meeting features; the difference is a full-screen meeting display.

Embedded or separate window

Use the embedded view to keep Huddle alongside your net2phone workspace.

Example: Huddle open in the net2phone browser app.

Open Huddle in a separate browser tab if you want more room for video or screen sharing.

Example: Huddle app open in a Chrome browser.

Change your Huddle default view

From the desktop and browser app, you can set your preferred Huddle meeting layout to either a larger two-panel view or a smaller single-panel view.

Example: Profile Settings open to the Customization tab, with Huddle default view toggle highlighted.

Before you join a meeting: Huddle pre-lobby settings

While waiting in the lobby, participants can see that the meeting is active but cannot hear or see other participants until they are admitted. The pre-lobby is where you prepare for a meeting before fully joining it.

Example: Huddle pre-lobby settings highlighted in the right panel of the desktop app.

In the pre-lobby tabs, you can find:

Audio to test your microphone and speakers, and ensure the input and output are selected correctly.
Video to preview and adjust your camera.
Virtual backgrounds to select a virtual background or blur.
Notifications to manage notifications and keyboard shortcuts.
Shortcuts to view the available keyboard hotkeys when enabled.
Poll drafts to create polls in advance.
General allows you to change the language of your Huddle app.

Example: Huddle pre-lobby settings open on audio controls.

In-meeting controls and features

During a Huddle meeting, you can manage your audio, video, and collaboration tools using the meeting controls.

You can quickly access these on-screen controls:

Mute or unmute your microphone to participate in the conversation.
Turn your camera on or off controls in the center bottom of your Huddle window.
Share your screen to present live displays of your computer environment.
Switch between different display layouts, such as tile view.
Open or close the meeting chat, with access to create a poll for feedback.
Use reaction emojis to respond without interrupting the speaker.

Example: In-meeting controls visable with the mouse hovering on "Start screen sharing."

Find More Actions, click the three dots in the bottom left to reveal:

Settings to open the prelobby options while on a call.
Select background to customize a unique background or blur the environment behind you.
View shortcuts to see what keyboard hotkeys are available once shortcuts are enabled.
Noise suppression to reduce the background noise from your environment.
Participant stats display the amount of time each user has participated or spoken.
Performance settings offer a sliding scale, allowing you to adjust the priority between the highest quality for video and the highest performance for voice.
YouTube video option allows you to share and live-play a YouTube video during your conference.
Live streaming through a YouTube streaming access key.
Video recording is available in MP4 file format and sent to a designated Dropbox account.

Example: In-conference “More Actions" menu selected.

Chat, polls, and reactions

Huddle includes built-in tools to keep meetings interactive:

Chat: Send messages to participants during the meeting
Reactions: Use visual reactions to acknowledge or respond quickly
Polls: Create polls to gather feedback or make decisions in real time

Polls can be saved as drafts, edited before sending, and shared with meeting participants during the call.

Example: Two draft polls available to edit or send, with create a poll button at the bottom.

Invite others to a Huddle

You can invite others to a Huddle at any time by sharing:

The meeting link.
Dial-in details for phone participants.

Example: Meeting Info with link, passcode, dial-in number, and PIN, with More Numbers and Copy All links at the bottom of the Meeting Info pop-up.

You can also invite contacts directly from the net2phone app, depending on your account settings and your Google or Microsoft calendar integration.

Get Huddle on mobile

Huddle is available on both iOS and Android. The mobile app allows you to:

Join meetings from your mobile device
Participate with audio and video
View shared screens and use chat

Example: Download page for the Huddle Video Conference app.

net2phone Knowledge