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!
Topic Participants
Swetha S
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, soZoho 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 importantThanksgiving 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-warmingZOHO-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 downturnIssues 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
Recent Topics
Cross-application Deluge calls fail when application link name starts with a number
I encountered an issue when calling a custom function in another Zoho Creator application within the same account. The target application’s URL/application link name began with a number, similar to: 27_example_application The following cross-applicationprefill_data for Creator + Merge & Sign
Hello, Is there an option to use prefill_data for signer fields from creator? I see the option for CRM but it will not work with creator? I have tried passing the value in the signer data, and that also does not work. Alternatively, is there a way toAnnouncing 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, VSCodeKaizen #258 - Getting Started with zoho-crm SKILL.md
Howdy tech wizards, Welcome to a fresh week of Kaizen. This week, we are taking a look at the zoho-crm SKILL.md, an Agent Skill designed to help AI coding agents work with Zoho CRM’s developer capabilities. What is zoho-crm SKILL.md? The zoho-crm skillSupport Required for Integrating Zoho SalesIQ in Flutter Web
Hi Team, I have developed a Flutter application and I am currently using the salesiq_mobilisten: ^6.5.4 package. As per the package documentation ( https://pub.dev/packages/salesiq_mobilisten ), it supports only Android and iOS, and it is working fineBooks is extremely slow again today !
Everything is running slowly even with 500mb connection speedMCP for Zoho Sign is not working
I'm using the mcp builder at mcp.zoho.com and selected Zoho Sign. I have created it 4 different times but my other mcp servers are working. However, mcp for zoho sign WILL NOT WORK. It throws a 400 error. I've checked everything. I tried with both GrokAutomate Credit Card Surcharge
Is there a way to create an automation that will add a 3.0% credit card surcharge to a subscription whenever a customer pays via credit card?How to charge Convenience fee OR payment gateway charges to the end client who is paying the invoice?
Hello, I am creating this topic after having discussions with various sets of users and have understood that with people moving more and more to digital payments, it is important for the client to enable the "Convenience fee" kind of scenario. I haveHow to add a fee based on payment method
I currently accept both ACH payments and credit card. I want to add a 3% fee to a number of my subscription plans if the customer chooses to use a credit card (and not ACH/checking). How do I do this? Is there an in-built feature, or would i have to createAutomating CRM backup storage?
Hi there, We've recently set up automatic backups for our Zoho CRM account. We were hoping that the backup functionality would not require any manual work on our end, but it seems that we are always required to download the backups ourselves, store them,Zoho Inventory - Profit Margin Feature - Allow Users to Set Default Cost Price Calculation Method
Hi Zoho Inventory Team, I'm working with an automotive parts distributor using Zoho Inventory. They have expressed frustration about having to change the Cost Price Method on every line item they add from the defult "Inventory Valuation Method" to "ItemOpenAI Is Moving to the Responses API: Here's What It Means for SalesIQ
OpenAI has deprecated its Assistants API and is moving to the Responses API. If you're using OpenAI Assistants with SalesIQ, you may be wondering if you need to make any changes to your existing setup. You don't. SalesIQ has already taken care of theDeprecation Notice: OpenAI Assistants API will be shut down on August 26, 2026
I recieved this email from openAI what does it means for us that are using the integration and what should we do? Earlier this year, we shared our plan to deprecate the Assistants API once the Responses API reached feature parity. With the launch of Conversations,Payment for product renewal
Good morning, I am requesting your kind assistance to renew my subscription because when I try to make the payment I get this wayAll 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. 24API - Available Stock Definitions
Okay, Zoho team... your copywriters fell down on the job for this one :) I think these warrant a bit more explanation as to what they include and what they don't.Feature Request: Add Sort by Cell Color and Text Color functionality
Hello Zoho Sheet Development Team, I am writing to suggest a feature enhancement for Zoho Sheet. Currently, the platform supports "Filter by Color," which is incredibly useful. However, there is no native option to "Sort by Color" (by cell fill or textZoho Creator to Zoho Writer for prefilled documents...
In response to the question about connecting Zoho Creator to Zoho Writer for prefilled documents, I wanted to share a working implementation that demonstrates how to use the record_id parameter with the Zoho Writer Merge API. This allows Writer to automaticallyCalendar Year View?
Is there a way I can view the calendar in year view? Maybe create a page with a view like this?Razorpay + Zoho Billing + Zoho Books Integration
Please help us set up this integration.Proyecto SII
Buenas tardes amigos de zoho. en mi empresa vamos a implementar el proyecto de emisión de facturas SII pero para poder hacerlo hay que subir un xml, estoy intentando automatizar este proceso pero no se como convertir la factura que retorna books a xmlAutomate Workflows at the Subform Level
Hello, Enterprise Support Community! We are excited to introduce an enhancement to Workflow Rules that gives you more control over automation within your records. Previously, Workflow Rules could only be configured at the module level, which meant changesCustom module - change from autonumber to name
I fear I know the answer to this already, but thought I'd ask the question. I created a custom module and instead of having a name as being the primary field, I changed it to an auto-number. I didn't realise that all searches would only show this reference.What is wrong with this sendmail message?
I keep getting improper statement errors on the message, but I cannot see a problem. Also, if the message is much longer the whole message turns black instead of being coloured yellow, red and blue. client = Clients[ID == input.Client_Lookup]; sendmailsales IQ issue on website
i integrated the zoho sales IQ code on the website but it is comming in distroted form i am sharing the screenshot below the website is bulit in wix platformZoho Creator - Install app from Gallery takes too long
I'm trying to install the 'Volunteer Portal' from the app Gallery of Zoho Creator. It has been busy installing the app for over 2 hours now. It might be okay, but how long is something like that supposed to take? I never installed anything from that GalleryAutomate customer follow-ups with Sequences in Bigin
Greetings, We hope you're all doing well! We're happy to announce a new feature that we've added to Bigin. Following up with every lead at the right time can be challenging, especially when your team is managing multiple conversations across emails, calls,How can I load a network into the cliq desktop app?
I have both the standard cliq log in for my org and I am part of a cliq network. In the browser I can choose which I log in to. However, in teh desktop app if I log in it will alwasy load my org's cliq. Can I switch this to the network I have create4.7.500 Server busy. Please try again later from [136.143.188.52]. (S77719) [SJ1PEPF00001CE2.namprd05.prod.outlook.com 2026-09-04T11:42:24.261Z 08DF0918255760D6]
4.7.500 Server busy. Please try again later from [136.143.188.52]. (S77719) [SJ1PEPF00001CE2.namprd05.prod.outlook.com 2026-09-04T11:42:24.261Z 08DF0918255760D6]Set Up Google Tag Manager for Your Zoho Recruit Career Site
Understanding how candidates interact with your career site can help you improve their experience and make better decisions about your recruitment process. With the new Google Tag Manager (GTM) integration in Zoho Recruit, you can connect your careerGmail users think they've replied to invite when they havent.
Hi, I think there's an issue when inviting gmail users to a zoho calendar event. Basically, when an invite from zoho calendar is received by a gmail user, gmail has this functionality where it will render "yes/no/maybe" buttons that, when clicked, theyTranslated country names in Address field not sorted alphabetically
Hello. I have a form with an address field that includes the country dropdown. The primary form language is English (as is the Zoho Forms account language). The form has been translated into German from the form's Settings > Translation functionality.Zoho Commerce Microstore to bypass customer portal on spesific items
Hi everyone, I’m currently testing the Microstore feature in Zoho Commerce and trying to understand how it behaves with access restrictions. My goal is the following: Even though the customer portal is enabled (and the main store requires users to signCalendar Attachments in iOS Mail App
It appears that viewing or accessing attachments to a calendar event is not possible in the iOS mail app. Is this correct? The ability to view calendar attachments in the mobile app is vital for me. Is this just a setting I'm missing somewhere?Zoho Desk API modifiedTimeRange returns HTTP 500 around 2026-03-08T02:00:00.000Z
Hello Zoho Support Team, We are experiencing a reproducible HTTP 500 Internal Server Error when querying the Zoho Desk API search endpoint with a specific modifiedTimeRange boundary. ### API Endpoint GET /api/v1/tickets/search ### Reproduction Steps &Grey border on inserted Sheet on Write document
When inserting a Sheet on a Write document, it show an ugly gray border. How to get rid of it?Send workflow alerts as a single mass email to all recipients
Managing workflow notifications becomes easier when everyone needs visibility into who received an alert. With this enhancement, workflow email alerts can now be sent as a single email to all recipients, giving recipients visibility into the other usersKaizen #253 : Custom Validation for Blueprint to Enforce Mandatory File Uploads and File Extension Compliance Using Client Script
Welcome to another exciting Kaizen post on Client Script! Have you ever wanted more control over what gets uploaded to a File or Image field in Zoho CRM, like restricting file types, validating file names, or showing a custom error before an inappropriateWORK DRIVE CUSTOMIZATION
WORK DRIVE CUSTOMIZATION Create folder for every Case by “Contact Name “in Work Drive under Associate Deals Folder Directory: User Work Drive Accounts: Route Directory Associate Cases Case Name, Case Number Client Upload- Shared with contact (for collaboration)Next Page