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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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 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.

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 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).