Zoho Community Digest - July 2026| Part 4

Zoho Community Digest - July 2026| Part 4



Hi everyone, and welcome back!


We're closing out July with a strong final week, from a major LinkedIn integration in Zoho Recruit to AI-powered forecasting in Zoho Analytics. There are also a few heads-ups worth noting, including API changes in Zoho CRM and a WhatsApp pricing shift coming in October. Here's everything new from July 25–31, 2026.

Community Spotlight

Noteworthy contributions from the community this week.
Damien Cregan
Zoho MVP
Zoho Creator Community

Need to fade or disable past dates in a Creator Calendar View? Damien  mapped out five approaches, from  On Load workflows to JS Widgets, with  code and a working example.

A calculation bug was breaking Deluge on Currency and Decimal fields set to the 1.234.567,89 format. Damien replicated it and spotted that formula fields still worked, which helped Zoho find the root cause.

At a glance

Sales & Marketing

Zoho CRM: Mandatory field behavior changes in APIs (by October 2026)
Zoho Forms: Password-protected PDFs

Email, Storage, and Collaboration

Zoho Trident: Trident for Windows v1.43.5.0
Zoho Notebook: Notebook Pro Plus plan

HR

Zoho Recruit: LinkedIn RSC integration | Multiple hiring pipelines

Service

Zoho Desk: WhatsApp Business message pricing update (October 2026)

Project Management

Zoho Projects: Time Log Grid View update
Zoho Sprints: Built-in meeting provider

BI and Analytics

Zoho Analytics: July 2026 updates (Time Series AutoML | PMML import | Forecasting in Pivot Views)
Zoho DataPrep: New EU outgoing proxy IPs (action needed)

Sales & Marketing

Zoho CRM

Heads up: mandatory field behavior is changing in the APIs
Zoho CRM is planning API updates expected to roll out by the end of October 2026. Last_Name in Leads and Contacts will no longer be system-mandatory, and you'll be able to configure either First_Name or Last_Name as mandatory based on your layout. There are breaking changes to the metadata and Get Records APIs, so if you have integrations touching these fields, it's worth reviewing them now. Nothing is live yet. Check the announcement and the comments for the technical details and guidance on adapting your integrations.

Zoho Forms

Put a lock on PDFs generated from your forms
Zoho Forms now lets you password protect PDFs generated from submissions. The password can be static or built dynamically from the respondent's own answers, so every PDF gets a unique lock tied to that person's data.

Email, Storage, and Collaboration

Zoho Trident

Smarter email and more conference options on Windows
Trident for Windows now shows live Zoho Desk ticket data inside email notifications. Zoho Cliq Meeting is available as a conference option when creating calendar events, with the meeting link shared automatically. WorkDrive files can be opened directly in the browser, and the app expands to the Singapore and UAE data centres.

Zoho Notebook

One plan for everything: introducing Notebook Pro Plus
Notebook Pro Plus bundles Notebook Pro and Notebook AI into one plan: 500 GB storage, 1 GB file uploads, 180-minute audio recordings, PDF annotation, version history, and the full AI suite including transcription up to 30 hours a month and AI-powered Mind Maps.

HR

Zoho Recruit

Your LinkedIn Recruiter and Zoho Recruit are now connected
LinkedIn RSC (Recruiter System Connect) is live in Zoho Recruit. See which candidates are already in your pipeline while searching LinkedIn, export any profile in one click, and have InMail history sync automatically. LinkedIn Hiring Assistant customers automatically qualify for RSC+, which connects job requisitions to LinkedIn Hiring Projects and runs AI evaluations across your applicant pool inside Zoho Recruit.
Every job opening can now have its own hiring pipeline
Every role used to share the same hiring pipeline regardless of how different the process was. Now you can create dedicated pipelines for different roles, departments, or industries, each with their own stages and statuses. Clone an existing pipeline, switch a live job opening mid-process, and choose whether historical data follows.

Service

Zoho Desk

WhatsApp service messages will be charged from October 1, 2026
Service messages sent within the 24-hour WhatsApp customer window are currently free. From October 1, 2026, Meta will charge for them at the same rate as utility and authentication messages. Rates vary by country, so check your volume and Meta's rate card before the deadline.

Project Management

Zoho Projects

Track team hours more clearly with the new Time Log grid view
The Time Log grid view now has a split layout with logs on the left and a calendar-aligned date grid on the right where you can enter hours directly into cells. A summary row at the top totals hours per day, and you can set it to display Hours, Days, or Percentage. It's available in both the global Time Log module and within individual project Time Log tabs.

Zoho Sprints

No more switching apps for sprint meetings
Zoho Sprints now has a built-in meeting provider. Start a meeting in one click, download recordings and chat transcripts afterwards, and log minutes in comments for offline sessions.

BI and Analytics

Zoho Analytics

July brings smarter predictions and broader connectivity
AutoML now supports Time Series forecasting, so you can predict demand, revenue, and inventory from historical data without writing code. External ML models can be imported via PMML (Predictive Model Markup Language) and applied directly to your data. Forecasting has also landed in Pivot Views, and the update brings System Tags, new connectors for GreytHR and Cin7 Core, and Live Connect support for MongoDB and ClickHouse. Check the announcement for the full list.

Zoho DataPrep

Action needed: allowlist the new EU proxy IPs
Zoho DataPrep has new outgoing proxy IP addresses for the EU data centre. If your systems restrict inbound traffic, these need to be allowlisted for DataPrep to keep reaching your data sources. Check the announcement for the full list and update your allowlist if you haven't already.

That's a wrap on July! Four weeks, four parts, and a lot shipped across the Zoho ecosystem. Drop a comment on what stood out for you this month, and we'll see you in August!
Missed an edition? Catch up on Part 1 (July 1–7), Part 2 (July 8–14), and Part 3 (July 16–24).

    Access your files securely from anywhere

        Zoho FSM Video Tutorials


              All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.






                                    Zoho Developer Community




                                                          • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                          • Digest


                                                          • Functions


                                                          • Meetups


                                                          • Kbase


                                                          • Resources


                                                          • Glossary


                                                          • Desk Marketplace


                                                          • MVP Corner


                                                          • Word of the Day


                                                          • Ask the Experts



                                                                    • Sticky Posts

                                                                    • Zoho Community Digest - July 2026 | Part 1

                                                                      Hello everyone! Keeping up with everything across the Zoho ecosystem is a lot, so we're bringing back the Zoho Community Digest, now weekly. Each week we round up the need-to-know announcements from the Zoho Community Forums, four editions a month, so
                                                                    • Zoho Community Digest : Jan 2026 | Part 1

                                                                      Hello Everyone! Staying in the loop with Zoho's latest product updates and features across the vast Zoho Community Forums can be a real challenge. We get it. With over 50+ applications, each with its dedicated forum, it's easy to miss out on important
                                                                    • Thanksgiving 2022 - Celebrating Zoho Community SuperBuds

                                                                      One of the things we love most about our Zoho User Community is how readily our users help each other out, and share their Zoho and business knowledge. Be it the community forums, the virtual and in-person meetups, or Zoholics, it's been heart-warming
                                                                    • ZOHO-20 to fight COVID-19

                                                                      While the world economy is taking a hit, we, at Zoho, are doing our bit to help small businesses come out of this crisis. Here are all the programs and packages offered by Zoho to fight Covid-19. 1. ESAP: The Small Business Emergency Subscription Assistance Program (ESAP) gives our severely impacted small business customers access to Zoho software they currently use, free for three months. All Zoho customers with 25 employees or fewer who have been severely impacted by the coronavirus-related downturn
                                                                    • ​Issues with Forum posts approval in Zoho Community

                                                                      Hi All, Issue: Some of you have reported that the posts/comments made today are going for moderation. The issue started few hours ago, and the behaviour was reported in CRM and Creator Forums by a few customers/partners. We were able to see the same problem in a few other product forums too. How it impacts you: Don't worry if you find that your posts and comments are stuck in moderation. Your posts/comments are safe. Please don't duplicate them. We're keeping a tab on the development and approving


                                                                    Manage your brands on social media



                                                                          Zoho TeamInbox Resources



                                                                              Zoho CRM Plus Resources

                                                                                Zoho Books Resources


                                                                                  Zoho Billing Resources

                                                                                    Zoho Projects Resources


                                                                                      Zoho Sprints Resources


                                                                                        Qntrl Resources


                                                                                          Zoho Creator Resources



                                                                                              Zoho CRM Resources

                                                                                              • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                                                CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                                              • Kaizen

                                                                                                Kaizen

                                                                                              • Functions

                                                                                                Functions

                                                                                              • Meetups

                                                                                                Meetups

                                                                                              • Kbase

                                                                                                Kbase

                                                                                              • Resources

                                                                                                Resources

                                                                                              • Digest

                                                                                                Digest

                                                                                              • CRM Marketplace

                                                                                                CRM Marketplace

                                                                                              • MVP Corner

                                                                                                MVP Corner









                                                                                                  Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                                  Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                                  Get Started Now


                                                                                                    Zoho Show Resources

                                                                                                      Zoho Writer

                                                                                                      Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                                      Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                                        Zoho CRM コンテンツ




                                                                                                          Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                                              ご検討中の方





                                                                                                                        • Recent Topics

                                                                                                                        • Handle Leading Zeros in a Number Field

                                                                                                                          Hi, If I use a Number Field, set with Min 7 Digits and Max 7 Digits, and enter 0000001, it will result in 1 and an error as it removes the leading zeros, the same with entering 0012340 will result in 12340 and error. So I have to use a Text Field and
                                                                                                                        • can't access zoho account

                                                                                                                          I can't log in to my zoho account, can you help me
                                                                                                                        • Cliq iOS can't see shared screen

                                                                                                                          Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? Regards
                                                                                                                        • HTML PDF Templates / Build From Scratch option not visible for Custom Modules

                                                                                                                          Hi everyone, I am working with Zoho Books Custom Modules and trying to create a custom 4x4 package label PDF template using HTML/CSS. According to the official Zoho Books documentation for HTML PDF Templates, there should be an option like: Settings →
                                                                                                                        • Virtual Option for Fields

                                                                                                                          Hi, I would like to be able to choose another option other than Read-Only or Disabled, such as Virtual. And with Virtual, the field is shown on the form and avilable in rules, but NOT saved to the Database. A use case is having multiple Large Lists of
                                                                                                                        • Prefix & Suffix on Single Line, Number, etc.

                                                                                                                          Hi, I would like to have the same Prefix and Suffix that was added to the Unique ID on Text and Number Fields. Use case could be as basic as temperature, as per another Idea I have to use Single Line (Text) for a number that might have leading zeros today,
                                                                                                                        • Customer User Fields for use in Rules

                                                                                                                          Hi, I would like to be able to add custom fields to the users, such as Department or Role, which can then be used in Rules, Reports, etc. as a condition. A use case is limiting Global lists or Choices based on the users Custom Field, so one form can be
                                                                                                                        • Locked out of MFA due to changing phones

                                                                                                                          I have been locked out of my Zoho Books account since i changed my mobile phone over. I can get the OTP through the ZOHO Books software but i cant confirm using my phone app as nothing appears to authorise. I need to know how to register/set up my new
                                                                                                                        • 👍 Zoho CRM's Notes now gets Reactions and a new look

                                                                                                                          Available in SA and JP DCs. Rolling out to other DCs in phases. Hello everyone, Notes help users capture important updates, collaborate with teammates, and maintain context for records. Now with Note Reactions, users can quickly acknowledge updates, express
                                                                                                                        • All new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs

                                                                                                                          Availability Update: 29 September 2025: It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition exclusively for IN DC users. 2 March 2026: Available to users in all DCs except US and EU DC. 24
                                                                                                                        • Zoho books and venmo

                                                                                                                          Hi, Is there a way to hook Venmo into zoho books? I have a Venmo business account and want to be able to sync that. I know you can do it with the paypal integration but I dont want to use paypal for the fees and that doesnt allow me use/integrate my current
                                                                                                                        • Updating Unit Code for New Item Creation, Quote and Invoicing is so inconvenient

                                                                                                                          The Zoho Team has implemented many updates, but these updates should be optional. Before rolling out any new feature, they should already have a solution in place that allows users to remove or disable it if they choose not to use it. Just yesterday,
                                                                                                                        • Payroll needs to automatically remit taxes, not just give me the calculations

                                                                                                                          Wagepoint, PayEvo, Waveapps, etc... All your competitors deposit employee payroll, but they ALSO remit taxes automatically. Get with the program, your Payroll app is extremely sparse.
                                                                                                                        • Creating new Teams meeting from CRM doesn't enable Team functions in the meeting

                                                                                                                          Hi I'm trying to set up the meeting integration and I've seen that when I create a Meeting in the CRM and set the location to Online and the Provider to Teams, and complete the boxes, add a participant etc, whilst the meeting is created in Teams, the
                                                                                                                        • Approval Process configuration is now more flexible and fully customizable

                                                                                                                          The Approval Process is back with an improved user experience designed to make it easier to build structured, flexible, and intuitive approval workflows. Here’s a look at some of the key enhancements: Name Your Rules & Stages You can now give each approval
                                                                                                                        • Admin Logging in as another User

                                                                                                                          How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Latest Update (27th April 2026): With the early
                                                                                                                        • Introducing Approval SLA for Approval Processes

                                                                                                                          Approvals can sometimes be delayed when approvers do not respond within the expected timeframe, which can slow down your recruitment processes. With the new Approval SLA in Zoho Recruit, you can set deadlines for approval requests and define automated
                                                                                                                        • Introducing Microsoft Word Integration in Zoho Contracts

                                                                                                                          We are excited to announce a new feature that brings contract authoring and negotiation in your familiar environment — the Microsoft Word Integration. What This Integration Brings The Microsoft Word Integration connects Zoho Contracts with the Microsoft
                                                                                                                        • Map My Client Locations for Zoho CRM Extension: Turn CRM Addresses Into Action

                                                                                                                          Hello everyone, Your CRM knows who your customers are. Now, see where they are on the interactive map directly from Zoho CRM. Introducing Map My Client Locations for Zoho CRM, an extension built for businesses that rely on sales visits, field service,
                                                                                                                        • Scheduled and Automated Report Delivery from Zoho Projects

                                                                                                                          Zoho Projects has useful reports including task reports, timesheet summaries, and workload charts. However, there is currently no way to schedule these reports to be automatically delivered to stakeholders on a recurring basis. This means: Project managers
                                                                                                                        • How can I filter inactive/disable agent tickets?

                                                                                                                          Hello, We have an user-agent that left the company and we inactive/disabled his agent. So, now I can no longer filter or search tickets that he is the current owner, or even create a rule to reassign tickets to another person when the ticket is reopen.
                                                                                                                        • Add Reauthentication Option for Zoho Bug Tracker Integration in Zoho Desk

                                                                                                                          Hello Zoho Desk Team, We hope you're doing well. We would like to request an enhancement to the Zoho Bug Tracker integration within Zoho Desk. Current Limitation: At the moment, there is no option to reauthenticate the Zoho Bug Tracker integration in
                                                                                                                        • Dashboards for Customers

                                                                                                                          Is it possible to build dashboards for each customers in the community for their tickets?
                                                                                                                        • Collaborate Visually with Whiteboard in Zoho Projects

                                                                                                                          Whiteboard in Zoho Projects allows you to collaborate visually by creating diagrams, annotating designs, and sketching project workflows using shapes, text, and images within project modules. Team members can work simultaneously, improving productivity
                                                                                                                        • Fields in MS-Word Template

                                                                                                                          With the new MS-Word integration, how does one create fields in an imported MS-Word document which can then automatically be populated with an Intake Form?
                                                                                                                        • Displaying only unread tickets in ticket view

                                                                                                                          Hello, I was wondering if someone might be able to help me with this one. We use filters to display our ticket list, typically using a saved filter which displays the tickets which are overdue or due today. What I'd really like is another filter that
                                                                                                                        • Zoho Bookings Flow Step not Triggering on Appointment booked

                                                                                                                          I noticed yesterday that my appointment booked flows were not triggering when we had booked appointments in Zoho Bookings. I checked the trigger and noticed the trigger values updated to be defined to a workspace and service event rather than our whole
                                                                                                                        • UCP: Why We Killed the Multi-Portal Mess and Simplified Customer Self-Service

                                                                                                                          Let's talk about the multi-portal mess nobody wants to admit that it exists. Your customer needs an invoice from one app, wants a ticket update from another, and has a project waiting in a third, each behind its own login, its own UI, its own "was it
                                                                                                                        • Zoho Tables is now available in Zoho One!

                                                                                                                          Hello Zoho One users, We’re excited to announce that Zoho Tables is now included as a part of Zoho One suite! As teams grow, managing projects, approvals, inventories, campaign trackers, and operational workflows across multiple spreadsheets become difficult.
                                                                                                                        • Zoho Publish is now available in Zoho One!

                                                                                                                          Hello Zoho One users, We’re excited to announce that Zoho Publish is now included as part of the Zoho One suite! As businesses grow, managing Google Business Profiles across many locations becomes challenging. Business information needs to stay accurate,
                                                                                                                        • 📣 Ask the team behind Zoho SalesIQ: Summer '26 Q&A

                                                                                                                          Hi everyone! Following our recent webinars, Summer '26 Release: What's New in Zoho SalesIQ—where we walked you through all the new features, what they do, and how they work—and Driving the AI Evolution: Building Smarter Customer Experiences with Zoho
                                                                                                                        • Upcoming update to field values in Zoho Books - Zoho Analytics integration

                                                                                                                          Hello Users, We'd like to inform you of an upcoming update to the tax_category values in the Zoho Books integration for Zoho Analytics from October 20, 2026. What's Changing? tax_category field values are being renamed to align with the conventions already
                                                                                                                        • Announcing the new SKILL.md for Zoho CRM and the updated OAS repository!

                                                                                                                          We are introducing a new zoho-crm skill to make working with Zoho CRM Developer tools (like APIs, functions, widgets, client scripts, queries etc) easier and faster, with the help of AI in your preferred AI harness like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VSCode
                                                                                                                        • Kaizen #259 - Working with Zoho CRM APIs using zoho-crm skill

                                                                                                                          In the previous Kaizen, we introduced the zoho-crm skill and discussed how it can work with different CRM developer capabilities. The zoho-crm skill makes it easier to work with Zoho CRM without having to remember every API endpoint, request structure,
                                                                                                                        • How can I populate dropdown data with information from another source or app?

                                                                                                                          I want to maintain a list of items in another app (say in excel or another database) and sync those as items in a drop down menu, instead of copy pasting to import. Is this kind of a feature available?
                                                                                                                        • Zoho Community Digest - September 2026 | Part 1

                                                                                                                          Hi everyone, and welcome back! September opens with a strong set of updates. Zoho CRM brings workflow automation down to the subform row level and ships a new SKILL.md for AI-assisted development, Zoho Desk introduces conditional branching with Automation
                                                                                                                        • Tip #88 – Manage Incoming Support Requests Efficiently with the Service Queue – 'Insider Insights'

                                                                                                                          Hello Zoho Assist Community! Not every team has a dedicated IT department or a fully built-out sysadmin setup. For smaller teams, when something breaks, there's no internal ticket system to log into, no helpdesk queue to route through, and no clear way
                                                                                                                        • Delete CRM Portal

                                                                                                                          How do I delete portals from my CRM? I created one just to test, it is not in use and is disabled but it's existence is preventing me from marking fields in modules as "required" unless I make it 'read/write' in the portal first. I'd rather just delete
                                                                                                                        • Zoho Books | Product updates | July 2026

                                                                                                                          Hello users, We’re excited to bring you the latest updates in Zoho Books for July 2026! This month's release introduces Terminal Payments, CMP-08 filing for composition taxpayers, SEPA Credit Transfer support, and Self-Billed Credit Notes and Debit Notes
                                                                                                                        • Calendar invites from Contacts not being assigned to Account in CRM

                                                                                                                          Hi all It's that time of year again when I try to get calendar and meetings sorted in CRM. I have two way sync enabled. I have the option set to check for customer meeting invitation mail and to add them as meetings. However, whilst those meetings show
                                                                                                                        • Next Page