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During Q2 of this year, Zoom completely shattered the previous App Store record for downloads, previously set by TikTok, according to analytics data. While TikTok notched up 67 million US downloads in Q1, reports Sensor Tower, Zoom hit almost 94 million US downloads in Q2.

Demand for the videoconferencing app was of course driven by the coronavirus crisis, which saw record numbers of people working from home. Worldwide, across Apple’s App Store and the Google Play store, Zoom became only the third app to reach 300M downloads in a quarter, joining TikTok and Pokémon GO.

Sensor Tower says Zoom wasn’t the only app to benefit …

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Video conferencing service Zoom has been quite the roller coaster ride over the last several months marked by serious flaws, misleading encryption claims, and massive user growth. Now after previously planning to keep end-to-end encryption as just a feature for paying customers, the company has reversed course and says free users will see it arrive in a beta coming in July alongside paid accounts.

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Zoom has announced that it will “strengthen encryption of video calls” to help boost security for users. As reported by Reuters, the company plans to roll out this stronger encryption only to users who pay for Zoom, not those who use the free tier of the service.

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Zoom has risen to the top as one of the most used video call apps as the coronavirus has spread around the globe. It’s cross-platform, free, and easy to set up calls for businesses and well as individuals. However, it has seen some serious security and privacy flaws (now fixed). For those looking for some good Zoom alternatives, follow along after the break for a range of choices for both business and personal use.

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One of the features that has made Zoom such a popular solution for video calls recently is support for custom backgrounds. After implementing similar Zoom-like features earlier this month, Skype is now adding support for custom backgrounds.

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We suggested Houseparty as an alternative to Zoom earlier this month, and a report today indicates that it has seen 50 million sign-ups in the past month.

It has been the most popular social networking app in the App Store every day since March 20, giving it more daily downloads than Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp…

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After writing an apology note earlier today, fixing two serious Mac flaws, and detailing a plan to improve its security, privacy, and transparency moving forward, Zoom has also fixed its “malware-like” installer with the latest macOS update.

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Zoom penetration tests have been commissioned by the popular videoconferencing service after a series of security and privacy issues were found in the company’s mobile and desktop apps.

Zoom’s problems have been a messy mixture of poor communication, sketchy marketing, rule-breaking, and actual security holes …

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Zoom, the popular video call service has had a number of privacy and security issues over the years and we’ve seen several very recently as Zoom has seen usage skyrocket during the coronavirus pandemic. Now two new bugs have been discovered that allow hackers to take control of Macs including the webcam, microphone, and even full root access.

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Various people have suggested in the past that Apple should allow FaceTime for Android and Windows, in an attempt to make it the default standard for consumer video calls. That idea gained new impetus when Apple launched the Group FaceTime function for calls between up to 32 people.

But the coronavirus outbreak has taken consumer group videoconferencing to a whole new level. Back in February, most non-techies had never done it in their lives. Fast-forward to now, and Zoom conferences are a completely normal thing for everyone …

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As reported by The Intercept, the Zoom video conferencing app offers options for end to end encryption in its UI (and in its marketing materials) but the calls are not actually end-to-end encrypted at all.

The Zoom video app is bursting into the public consciousness this year as the coronavirus causes most people to work from home. However, the security of the app has come under fire in many ways. In this instance, it turns out Zoom calls are only encrypted in transmission. This means the central Zoom servers could decrypt the incoming calls and see all participants if the company wanted to.

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