Why does Cisco WebEx only work by running a temporary application?

Question

When starting or joining a Cisco WebEx meeting using Chrome on Windows 10, it always requires the use of the provided temporary application. Why does the add-on not work or what is required to get it to work?

Step 1 - Cisco WebEx Extension

The Cisco Webex Extension appears to be installed. Installing the extension is Step 1 of 2.

The site prompts for the installation of the extension

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Chrome prompts to install the extension

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The extension shows up as installed

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Step 2 - Install the Cisco WebEx add-on

Step 2 is shown and after downloading the executable and running it, nothing appears to happen. The only way to start or join a meeting is to use the provided temporary application.

Using a temporary application

Joining a Meeting Using 'Run a temporary application' describes the only process which works.

Solution

According to this Cisco Collaboration Help article last updated on Jun 11, 2018:

Announcing the retirement of the Webex App for Chrome

It also lists limitations for using the Chrome extension:

• Limited to attendees only. Hosts must use the Webex Web App or the desktop app.
• Attendees can only join Cisco Webex Meetings on sites running WBS30 or higher.
• Does not support the Cisco Webex Meetings product meetings.webex.com.
• Attendees cannot join meetings with end-to-end encryption enabled.
• Attendees cannot join meetings on the "VoIP-only" site type.
• Does not support content sharing

So it's likely that it just doesn't work anymore. The article referenced in the announcement suggests that you now can use a HTML5 based solution that doesn't require any extensions anymore.