Google today made a significant announcement regarding the future of its collaborative Jamboard whiteboarding software. The company is set to gradually phase out the app, with the final shutdown scheduled for late 2024. Simultaneously, Google is unveiling the “next phase” of whiteboarding solutions, directing users towards third-party applications that will apparently seamlessly integrate with Workspace services such as Google Meet, Drive, and Calendar.
Google has committed to assisting its customers in transitioning to alternative whiteboard tools, including FigJam, Lucidspark, and Miro. Jamboard was great, but had very limited features, and these third-party solutions have proven more effective due to their diverse feature sets, which include infinite canvas sizing, ready-made templates for business and education, voting capabilities, and more.
As well as the Jamboard software, Google will also end support for their rather expensive Jamboard screens.
We still have a year to use Jamboard as normal. The process of phasing out the Jamboard app will begin on October 1st, 2024. On this date, Jamboard will transition into a read-only application, rendering users unable to create new Jams or edit existing ones on any platform.
Users will have until December 31st, 2024, to back up their Jam files. After this deadline, Google will terminate access and begin the permanent deletion of files.
Google aims to provide straightforward pathways for users to safeguard and migrate their Jam data to FigJam, Lucidspark, and Miro, all of which will be readily available well in advance of the app’s ultimate discontinuation in late 2024.
This is a real shame, while Jamboard didn’t have many features, it did some things quite well. It worked great as a quick brainstorming space with my students during many lockdown Zoom training sessions. It was very easy to create a Jam, throw out the link on Zoom Chat and have the students gain access with very little friction. With Whiteboard.fi now requiring a subscription too, I’m going to have to rethink some of the ways I collaborate on remote teaching sessions. That said, Figma does look interesting already, and I’ve just signed up for a free education account.
I’ll produce some guides to these alternatives soon. I’ll report back when I’ve had more of a chance to explore them.
Google Announces the End of Jamboard
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