Zoom will release an improved app for Chromebooks on June 29. On that date, the company will introduce a progressive web app for Chrome OS. The new app is usable for Chrome OS v91 and newer.
Zoom reports that the new progressive web app will be available on Google’s Play Store from Tuesday. Such a pwa is a web app that can be installed separately and then functions as a separate app. Such web apps would be faster than regular apps and take up less storage space. The legacy native Zoom app for Chrome Enterprise and Chrome Education will remain usable until January 2022.
Currently, Zoom on Chrome OS can only be used as a regular web app with limited functionality. The updated pwa, in turn, should offer “many of the same” features as the video calling service’s Windows and macOS apps. For example, users can customize their display, the new app supports breakout rooms , live transcriptions and translations and a feature that hides the background from users. The functions for ‘non-verbal responses’ are also supported.
Not all features will be available on June 29. At release, users won’t be able to share audio when sharing their screen, though that should change this summer. The whiteboard feature is expected this fall. Zoom itself also indicates that the company will continue to update its new app with new features over the next three to six months.
