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Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Zoom does not run on boards based on ARM chips. So we tried to adopt web client but it turns out the browser is consuming most of our CPUs and making system being frozen.
Describe the solution you’d like
Would you support ARMv8 64-bit systems for operating Zoom native client?
Describe alternatives you’ve considered
We want to put Zoom on top of our business for providing solutions to our BtoB customers, but actually have not much things to do other than carrying our service on Microsoft Teams or GoToMeeting
Additional context
I read a similar issue Raspberry Pi users are having, which I believe is a huge market opportunity for Zoom to extend its ecosystem to Raspberry Pi’s
We came across the exact scenario too. Running on browser consumes the entire RAM and CPU and making the system hung. In desperate need of a native client for ARM based systems.
Schools and school kids here have millions of RaspberryPis. Zoom just doesn’t work acceptably on any browser. It’s brilliant on our phones which use the same same ARM64 designed chips.
Please expedite a Debian based ARM64 app as we are looking at another upcoming COVID-19 hiatus.
A zoom desktop client running on raspbian buster (debian 10) 32 bits in a raspberry pi 4 (armv8 architectures) it will be fully appreciated and used. It is really neccesary for millons of students and families with low incomes affected by covid19 pandemia. Students (primary, middle school and university) are using raspberry pi as an accesible desktop standard pc, potentiated by its open source, teaching environmet capabilities for coding or STEM projects and o take virtual classes over many clasroom web platforms. I think its an imediate priority for zoom consolidation as a virtual education environment.
Thank you very much in advance
I’ve been a big player in the push for Zoom on Raspberry Pies, and have done my best to provide solutions.
Currently, there are only two options for ARM devices:
Emulate the 32-bit x86 version of Zoom using my Pi-Apps Raspberry Pi app store. This works, most of the time, but performance could be much better if the code was native ARM.
Run the Zoom Chrome App in a Chromium-based browser that has NaCl support. Right now, only ChromebookOS has NaCl support. See my comment in the main Zoom-rpi thread for instructions. (it’s pretty easy)
I’m quite sure that providing an ARM64 client would give an enourmous boost to Zoom adoption. I’m already using it both in the company I work for and as a WW non profit organization and if it would run smoothly on a simple raspberry it will enable a consistent use on thousand of cases in countries with limited economical resources and limited skills.
But I would like to re-iterate that I believe Zoom on the ARM Linux platform is a huge missed business opportunity for Zoom Video Communications. As I mentioned in the post I linked to, The Raspberry Pi Foundation is giving thousands of Pi 400 computers to children in need and they plan on expanding the program. Currently, the zoom webapp is the only semi-viable solution to the problem (not a great one). If the families from the aforementioned Raspberry Pi Foundation Program, as well as anyone else who uses the ARM and AArch64 (64-bit arm) Linux platforms, are able to access and use the native desktop client, then I am sure the adoption of the Zoom software will skyrocket.
There are of course many other ARM and AArch64 Linux computers out there. Some of the notable ones that come to mind for me are the Pinebook Pro and the RockPro64. Also, some might just use the Raspberry Pi 4 in a compatible case as a desktop computer (as I have done in the past). If Zoom is ported to Linux on the armhf and aarch64 architectures, many, many ARM devices will be able to use the Zoom software, not just the Raspberry Pi computers.
I would also like to point out a potential industry trend in which major companies seem to be moving away from x86_64 to ARM (Apple’s M1 and Microsoft’s attempts at switching to ARM silicon are prime examples). If Zoom Video Communications ports the native Zoom desktop client to the 32-bit and 64-bit ARM architectures, then not only will they be enabling a large audience of companies and individuals access to the service, but they may very well be preparing for the future. A future in which ARM is the dominant desktop processor architecture.
I believe that if Zoom is not ported to ARM, then there is a huge potential for Zoom Video Communications to be missing out on an large untapped market of potential installs, both by businesses and individuals.
I strongly support this request.
Recompiling it on a different Linux platform is not a big deal, not more complicated than the half a dozen systems already supported.
Is the reason that the Pi4 is not fast enough?
Does Zoom use special OpenGL calls not available on Pi4 and which would be hard to rewrite on GLES?
Does it contain a lot of x86 assembly?
Some commercial reason to encourage people to buy expensive laptops?
Zoom uses a lot of open source libraries without which none of this would be possible.
Giving something back in term of easier adoption of the platform seems a win-win choice.
ARM 64 bit support for Pinebook Pro please. ARM seems to be the way the PC and laptop market are going. Your missing out on an increasing user base. Please support open source.
Hello, @michael.zoom
It has been over a full year and no response from anyone that is part of Zoom project. Can you please provide any update to where the issue of obtaining a native Zoom client for Raspberry Pi exists in the priority queue. The need, logic, and installed base appears to be significant, and it is very unclear as to the reasoning for not providing a proper release.
If the release is not pending in a short time, please also provide the reasoning (besides lack of engineering resources) for not being able to provide the most important educational tool for quarantined students and teachers, for the largest installed base, educational computer.
I am also a Pinebook Pro user, and am disappointed that nothing is available to use on this device. Attempting to use it through Firefox just crashes after a few seconds.
