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Zoom Dumps ChromeOS App and Replaces It With Progressive Web App

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The Zoom experience for Chromebook users is about to get a lot better. Thanks to the introduction of Zoom’s new Progressive Web App (PWA), which leverages web-based technology to deliver a native desktop experience, Zoom users in schools will get more features and improved performance over an app-based experience.

PWAs are web apps that can be installed on your OS to provide an app-like experience while using the same technology as your web browser and ChromeOS. PWAs are usually faster and more functional than a regular app and take up less storage — which is great for cloud-based devices. As Zoom centrally updates our web client, the PWA will also receive updates automatically to get the latest and greatest Zoom features.

If you’re a systems administrator, you can still remotely install and manage the PWA, providing centralized configuration and security options.

The PWA can be installed from the Google Play store (click the link or search for “Zoom PWA” or “Zoom for Chrome PWA” in the Play store) and will appear as an application on a ChromeOS device.

Zoom’s PWA offers the same Zoom functionality as you would experience on a Windows or Mac desktop but significantly more than schools had using the Zoom ChromeOS App:

  • Supports live interpreters for multiple language translation channels
  • Self-select & other advanced breakout room features
  • Advanced Polling
  • 25-person Gallery view (on supported machines)
  • Virtual background & blur (on supported machines)
  • Background masking feature to help preserve participant privacy
  • Zoom Whiteboard
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