Google Jamboard end-of-life date gets expedited

Google is synonymous with more than a few words and concepts. On the positive end, the company is known for its product innovation and contributions to streamlining the act of searching on the internet. On the negative end, however, is the very idea that Google shuts down products and programs prematurely, leading to what many people in the industry like to call the Google Graveyard. In fact, every year, we at Android Police go through what the tech conglomerate killed off over the last 365 days. In 2023, Google Domains, YouTube Stories, and, most notably, Google Stadia, were shut down. When we publish the Google Graveyard of 2024 later this year, Google Podcasts will steal the headlines, but Google Jamboard will be just as dead.

In October 2023, Google announced that the 2016-born whiteboard app that it created for collaborative purposes in Google Workspace would see its dying moments in Q4 2024. On Oct. 1, 2024, Jamboard will go into a view-only mode where no new boards can be created. After Dec. 31, 2024, any Jams not yet migrated into partner applications will be deleted. Both of those dates were set in stone in 2023, but newly announced in an email by the Google Workspace Team is that on Sept. 1, 2024, Jamboard will be removed from Google Meet on web and mobile platforms. It’s a small addition, but it expedites the program that is already on its last breath.

Google aims to work with third-party whiteboard applications moving forward

Source: Anthropic

Originally released with both a hardware component (a 55-inch digital whiteboard that cost almost $5,000 in the US and £4,000 in the UK) and a software companion (by using the mobile or web browser app), Google seemingly discontinued the device in favor of the web software (our wallets were thankful). The company is pushing users towards three other third-party apps that Google recommends: FigJam, Lucidspark, and Miro. These apps have already seen some integration into Google Meet and can be installed as an addon to make it easier to collaborate during meetings and presentations.

It’s nerve wracking seeing so many Google services continue to be discontinued when customers depend on them for one reason or another. Some bigger apps might be on the chopping block sooner rather than later, too. Away from the world of Google, while it’s not the same thing as a whiteboard, jotting things down with a pen or pencil in a notebook can be quite freeing compared to typing on a computer. Many expensive tablets try to combine that feeling of jotting down notes with a digital footprint, but few options are as cheap as the Boogie Board Blackboard. It’s just okay, but that doesn’t mean it’s not for everyone.