This video conferencing app is Adobe's attempt at virtual meeting software. However, it is fair to say it's possibly not their best work.
Adobe has an enviable reputation in many spheres, but maybe not so much this one. Pre-pandemic Adobe Connect was mainly used in schools. But when COVID-19 struck and online meetings ramped up massively, it seems that Adobe Connect was caught off guard.
The new focus on the product - particularly in a business setting - threw up several shortcomings. While it's true that Adobe Connect has several five-star reviews, these are matched by an almost equal number of one-star reviews from both Android and iOS users.
Adobe Connect does not have its troubles to seek as it attempts to keep a foot in both the education and business markets. The danger of this, of course, is that they end up pleasing no one.
So what does the mobile version of the desktop app have to offer? Or is it just a cutdown afterthought?
● Attend webinars, meeting, and virtual classrooms
● Host meetings with an Adobe Connect account
● Share content from Adobe Connect's cloud-based library
● Break out rooms
● Use `custom pod' applications
● Whiteboard and content annotation for tablets
Given that online meetings went into global overdrive during 2020, it's extremely worrying that Adobe didn't up its game at all last year. There have been zero updates since April 2019 for the iOS version and none since 2018 for the Android app.
Either Adobe has lost interest in developing the app any further, or it's perfect the way it is.
It's challenging to believe Adobe has received zero feedback during 2020. And since nothing is ever perfect, it looks rather depressingly like the former. Unless there's some other less obvious explanation as to why Adobe has not tweaked the app at a time when demand for video conferencing has sky-rocketed.
Another clue as to how little has changed is the relatively modest OS and storage space requirements for Android and iOS. If an app is cutting edge, you would not unreasonably expect to have a minimum OS requirement above Android 4.0 and iOS 8.0.
The features listed are nothing special. They are all pretty standard fare, there's nothing innovative or new to set this app apart from more recent rival apps.
● It's free
● It works
● Supports English, German, Japanese, and French
● Meeting recordings have to be converted to MP4 before you can view them on a mobile device
● The Android app hasn't been updated since 2018
● Not all features are available for smartphones
The mobile-friendly version of Adobe Connect is downloadable from Google Play and Apple's App Store.
The Android app requires 11 MB of storage space and Android 4.0 or later. Meanwhile, iOS users need 54.1 MB of free storage space for the install and run iOS 8.0 or later.
The app is ranked at 3.2 and 2.9 out of five at Google Play and the App Store, respectively.
