diff --git a/src/room/GroupCallView.tsx b/src/room/GroupCallView.tsx
index 58fa0595..7de67cd8 100644
--- a/src/room/GroupCallView.tsx
+++ b/src/room/GroupCallView.tsx
@@ -229,6 +229,8 @@ export function GroupCallView({
     groupCall.enter();
   }, [groupCall]);
 
+  console.log("LOG participant size", participants.size);
+
   if (error) {
     return <ErrorView error={error} />;
   } else if (state === GroupCallState.Entered && userChoices) {
@@ -293,7 +295,7 @@ export function GroupCallView({
           setUserChoices(choices);
           enter();
         }}
-        muteAudio={participants.size > 8}
+        initWithMutedAudio={participants.size > 0}
         isEmbedded={isEmbedded}
         hideHeader={hideHeader}
       />
diff --git a/src/room/LobbyView.tsx b/src/room/LobbyView.tsx
index 6b51542a..c97cc3ca 100644
--- a/src/room/LobbyView.tsx
+++ b/src/room/LobbyView.tsx
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ interface Props {
   onEnter: (userChoices: UserChoices) => void;
   isEmbedded: boolean;
   hideHeader: boolean;
-  muteAudio: boolean;
+  initWithMutedAudio: boolean;
 }
 
 export function LobbyView(props: Props) {
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ export function LobbyView(props: Props) {
         <div className={styles.joinRoomContent}>
           <VideoPreview
             matrixInfo={props.matrixInfo}
-            muteAudio={props.muteAudio}
+            initWithMutedAudio={props.initWithMutedAudio}
             onUserChoicesChanged={setUserChoices}
           />
           <Trans>
diff --git a/src/room/VideoPreview.tsx b/src/room/VideoPreview.tsx
index d39aeb17..9ba11a89 100644
--- a/src/room/VideoPreview.tsx
+++ b/src/room/VideoPreview.tsx
@@ -40,13 +40,13 @@ export type MatrixInfo = {
 
 interface Props {
   matrixInfo: MatrixInfo;
-  muteAudio: boolean;
+  initWithMutedAudio: boolean;
   onUserChoicesChanged: (choices: UserChoices) => void;
 }
 
 export function VideoPreview({
   matrixInfo,
-  muteAudio,
+  initWithMutedAudio,
   onUserChoicesChanged,
 }: Props) {
   const { client } = useClient();
@@ -69,13 +69,9 @@ export function VideoPreview({
 
   // Create local media tracks.
   const [videoEnabled, setVideoEnabled] = useState<boolean>(true);
-  const [audioEnabled, setAudioEnabled] = useState<boolean>(!muteAudio);
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (muteAudio) {
-      setAudioEnabled(false);
-    }
-  }, [muteAudio]);
+  const [audioEnabled, setAudioEnabled] = useState<boolean>(
+    !initWithMutedAudio
+  );
 
   // The settings are updated as soon as the device changes. We wrap the settings value in a ref to store their initial value.
   // Not changing the device options prohibits the usePreviewTracks hook to recreate the tracks.
diff --git a/src/room/useGroupCall.ts b/src/room/useGroupCall.ts
index b0cbf76f..b02e7113 100644
--- a/src/room/useGroupCall.ts
+++ b/src/room/useGroupCall.ts
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ export function useGroupCall(
     isScreensharing: false,
     screenshareFeeds: [],
     requestingScreenshare: false,
-    participants: new Map(),
+    participants: getParticipants(groupCall),
     hasLocalParticipant: false,
   });