Update 4/22: Even more extensions are coming soon to Chromebooks with Family Link.īoth Zoom and Hangouts are usable on Chromebooks without needing to install any extension, but the extension goes a long way toward making the experience feel more native. However, the Chromebooks that many students have handy were hindered by not being able to install the Chrome extension for either Zoom or Hangouts, but that has just changed. A new background masking feature for privacyĬompared to the feature set I used in the browser, these are very welcome improvements that bring the Zoom experience more in line with its desktop software.With everyone - including students of all ages - working from home, video conferencing apps like Zoom have become essential parts of daily life.Live translation (with assigned interpreters).Customizable Gallery View (on supported machines).Breaking out the Zoom browser tab helped a little but a truly independent Zoom app is more effective.Įven better is that the new PWA to run Zoom on a Chromebook will have most of the desktop version features and additional features that the browser-based solution doesn’t have: While the browser-based version of Zoom was fine, it’s a little clunky to have a Zoom browser tab open among several other tabs with course materials, research and, in my case, an online code editor. Having used Zoom on a Chromebook for my most recent Computer Science college classes, I can’t wait to get the PWA installed. Essentially, the goal of PWAs is to replace “in browser” applications with full application functionality. PWA app shortcuts will support notification badges, for example, and PWAs can automatically open when clicking on a web link associated with an app.

They have their own independent window instance, like an Android app, for example.īehind the scenes, however, they’re built completely on web technologies just like any other web app you’d run in a browser tab.Īnd the functionality of PWAs has been expanding steadily, making them more on par with traditional software. I’m sure most readers are familiar with Zoom but they may not be sure what a PWA is.Įssentially, these are web apps that act more like traditional software that you’d install on a computer. According to a blog post on Zoom’s site, this will be a new Progressive Web App, or PWA, bringing a much better experience to use Zoom on a Chromebook. On Tuesday, June 29, the Google Play Store will have a new Zoom app available. Update: The new Zoom PWA is now available here, a day earlier than expected.

How to upgrade zoom on chromebook