Google Jamboard: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 21:04, 1 September 2025
| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| Release Year | 2016 |
| Product Type | Educational Technology(ed-tech) |
| In Production | No |
| Official Website | https://support.google.com/jamboard/answer/14084927 |
Google Jamboard was a $4,999 interactive digital whiteboard launched in 2017. In September 2023, Google announced in that Google Jamboard would have its primary features disabled by October 2024 and all user data permanently deleted by December 2024.
Consumer-impact summary
Incidents
Remote deactivation & forced obsolescence
On September 28, 2023, Google announced the complete shutdown of Jamboard. They created a timeline that would disable all cloud features by October 1, 2024 and permanently delete all user data by December 31, 2024.[1] This decision affected many organizations that paid $4,999 per device plus $600 annual management fees. Educational institutions were particularly impacted, as the deactivation affected curriculums they had built around the platform.[2]
The shutdown converted devices into "unlicensed mode" where they could not save content, use Google Meet, or use any cloud-connected functions. After December 31, 2024, the devices lost about 90% of their capabilities, functioning only as basic HDMI displays.[3]
Data loss & forced migration
Google's shutdown included permanent deletion of all user-created content ("Jams") on December 31, 2024, forcing organizations to manually export years of collaborative work. The company offered only "best-effort" PDF conversion, with users reporting blank PDFs and loss of interactive elements.[4]
Educational institutions reported losing hundreds of lesson plans integrated into their teaching workflows, with one Change.org petition gathering 498 supporters highlighting the impact on "youngest English language learners" and COVID-era remote learning materials.[5] The forced migration to alternative platforms like FigJam, Miro, or Lucidspark required additional investments of more than $7,000 per replacement when including new hardware, software subscriptions, and implementation costs.
Lack of compensation for hardware purchasers
Despite the very large up-front financial investment by customers, Google offered zero hardware compensation for non-educational buyers who purchased the devices. Educational institutions received only vague promises of compensation "on a partner-by-partner basis" without specific details.[6]
The devices cannot run alternative software due to locked bootloaders and proprietary firmware, making them permanently obsolete once Google's servers shut down. A group of tech-savvy individuals on the XDA-developers forum ported lineageOS to the devices to give them increased functionality. [7] Factory resets prompt users to enter activation codes that cannot be obtained.
See also
References
- ↑ "Google shutting down Jamboard, offering transition to other whiteboard apps". 9to5Google. 2023-09-28.
- ↑ "$5,000 Google Jamboard Dies In 2024 -- Cloud-Based Apps Will Stop Working, Too". Slashdot.
- ↑ "Google Jamboard is winding down". Google Support.
- ↑ "Export your jams". Google Support.
- ↑ "Petition · Save Jamboard". Change.org.
- ↑ "The next phase of digital whiteboarding for Google Workspace". Google Workspace Updates. 2023-09-28.
- ↑ "[UNOFFICIAL] LineageOS 22 for the Google Jamboard - WIP | XDA Forums". XDA-Forums. Retrieved 2025-09-01.