We’re excited to announce that Fluid 2.0 RC1 (Release Candidate 1) is now available on beta channels.

Here's what's new in RC1 since Beta 4:

• Fixed microphone redirection not working correctly.
• Resolved a memory leak in Jump Desktop Connect with Fluid 2.0 connections.
• Fluid 2.0 encoder has been tuned to use up to 50% less bandwidth than Fluid 2.0 Beta 4.
• Plus, lots of other bug fixes.

Also, here's what's new in Fluid 2.0. Check the previous announcements for full details on Beta 1 and Beta 2:

• Superior Compression & Improved Color Fidelity: 50% better visuals with reduced bandwidth.
• Studio-quality color accuracy, crisper text and richer visuals, with 4:4:4 mode support for everyone and 10-bit color for Teams Enterprise customers.
• Networking Enhancements: Faster recovery from bandwidth drops and improved scalability. AES 256 encryption.
• Surround Sound: 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound support for Teams Enterprise users. 
• Dynamic Audio Input Switching: Seamless switching between audio sources during sessions.
• Web-Based Remote Desktop: Connect from any browser without needing a native client (yes, it supports Android!).
• Full backwards compatibility with older versions of Jump Desktop and Jump Desktop Connect.

How do I download updates?

Enable Beta updates for Jump Desktop Connect / Mac / Windows and check for updates.

To start using Fluid 2.0 you will need to have Jump Desktop 9.x locally and Jump Desktop Connect 7.x on the host machine. RC1 is now rolling out to the Jump Desktop Mac and Windows Beta channel and Jump Desktop for Windows Beta channels. Jump Desktop Connect updates will follow before the end of the week to beta channels.

Fluid 2.0 Beta 3 is a bug fix release only. 

In Beta 3 we've fixed many bugs reported over the last couple of weeks. Fluid 2.0 is packed with features! To learn about the new features please read the Beta 1 and Beta 2 release notes.

How to download Fluid 2.0 Beta 3:

Enable Beta updates for Jump Desktop Connect / Mac / Windows and check for updates.

We’re excited to roll out Fluid 2.0 Beta 2, a major update that takes remote desktop to the next level with 4:4:4 chroma subsampling and 10-bit color support. This release is all about delivering incredible color accuracy and detail, giving you a truly crisp, studio-quality experience right on your remote desktop.

What 4:4:4 Color Means for You

Traditionally, remote desktop apps have relied on 4:2:0 chroma sub-sampling to cut down on bandwidth. While that’s efficient, it also means sacrificing some detail, particularly in areas with sharp edges or fine text. 

With 4:4:4 color support in Fluid 2.0 Beta 2, that’s no longer an issue. Every pixel now carries full color information.Artistic applications display with stunning precision, and even text and UI elements look sharper and more defined. Whether you’re working on detailed design projects or just want your desktop to look as good as it would in person, this is a big upgrade. This improvement isn’t just for creatives—productivity apps like word processors and spreadsheets also benefit, with text appearing noticeably crisper and easier to read.

4:4:4 on the left, 4:2:0 on the right (click the image to see the difference)

Moving from Millions to over a Billion Colors

Most displays use 8-bit color, which gives you 16.7 million colors to work with. That sounds like a lot until you need subtle color transitions or want to eliminate banding in gradients.

With Fluid 2.0 Beta 2, we’re stepping up to 10-bit color, which expands the color palette to over a billion colors. This leap ensures that even the most nuanced shades are rendered with incredible precision. Whether you’re in video production, graphic design, or any field that demands top-notch visual quality, this is the level of color depth you need to get your work done right.

Top image is original, the bottom image is the image with color banding.

Why 4:4:4 and 10-Bit Color Together Are a Game-Changer

Pairing full-color resolution (4:4:4) with a billion-color palette (10-bit per channel) in Fluid 2.0 Beta 2 gives you the ultimate high-fidelity remote desktop experience. This combination ensures that every pixel is vibrant and accurate, capturing even the smallest details and subtlest color variations. For anyone working with high-end visuals, whether it’s video editing, graphic design, or just enjoying a more polished remote desktop, this update is a must-have.

Flexibility at Your Fingertips

One of the coolest features of Fluid 2.0 Beta 2 is the ability to switch between all color modes on the fly while connected. Whether you need the high efficiency of 4:2:0 for certain tasks or want to take full advantage of 4:4:4 with 10-bit color, you can do it all without disconnecting: To switch colors while connected to a machine click Remote -> Color.

Important Notes:

1. High color quality (4:4:4 at 8-bit) is available for everyone!
2. Pro (4:2:0 10-bit) and Ultra (4:4:4 10-bit) modes are currently available for Jump Desktop for Teams Enterprise customers.
3. At the moment, 10-bit color support is limited to connections TO Mac hosts. For Windows hosts, we’re shipping 4:4:4 in the beta today but we're working hard to enable 10bit color - stay tuned!

How to Get Started:

Enable Beta updates for Jump Desktop Connect / Mac / Windows and check for updates.

Introducing Fluid 2.0!

We are excited to announce the release of Fluid 2.0 Beta 1. This update represents a significant leap forward from Fluid 1.0 with a major rewrite of the internal architecture.

Here’s what’s new:

• Fluid 2.0
• Networking Enhancements
• Surround Sound
• Dynamic Audio Input Switching
• Web-Base High Performance Remote Desktop and Screen Sharing
• How to start testing Fluid 2.0 Beta 

Fluid 2.0

Experience improved performance with Fluid 2.0, designed to support more colors and deliver faster speeds on modern hardware such as Apple Silicon and contemporary PCs.

1. Superior Color Fidelity: Fluid 2.0 offers up to 50% better color fidelity than Fluid 1.0. This means richer and more vibrant visuals, making your remote sessions look better than ever.
2. Enhanced Visual Clarity: You'll enjoy sharper, clearer images and videos without any increase in data usage. Fluid 2.0 provides up to 50% more visual clarity using the same bandwidth as Fluid 1.0. 
3. Support for 4:4:4 and 10bit color: Delivers incredible color accuracy and detail, giving you a truly crisp, studio-quality experience right on your remote desktop.
4. Advanced Compression: Optimized for both productivity applications and full-motion video, Fluid 2.0 delivers smoother and more detailed visuals. This ensures a better experience whether you're working on documents or streaming videos.
5. Support for Newer Codecs: Fluid 2.0 supports newer codecs with the ability to move to full hardware-based encoding and decoding. We will announce new features for this soon.
6. Backwards Compatibility: The clients and Connect apps are fully backwards compatible with older versions of the client or Jump Desktop Connect, ensuring a seamless upgrade without any worries.

Fluid 2.0 is enabled by default when connecting to Jump Desktop Connect 7.x or later. However, you can switch back to Fluid 1.0 via the menu option (Remote -> Codec).

Read more about 4:4:4 and 10bit color support here.

Networking Enhancements

Our revamped networking stack makes Jump more resilient to networking errors. It adapts to and recovers much quicker from bandwidth problems, and scales up faster to higher bandwidth connections.

Surround Sound

Teams Enterprise customers can now enjoy built-in support for 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound. The new Mac audio driver can handle up to 8 channels of audio. On Windows, it will automatically stream up to 8 channels if the host machine is set to use 8 channels. Clients will intelligently down-mix or up-mix as needed, making it perfect for tasks like video editing, gaming, and immersive audio experiences. A new Fluid performance stat called AudioChannels shows the maximum number of channels being streamed from the remote machine.

Dynamic Desktop Audio Input Switching

Switch desktop audio inputs at run-time. This allows you to change your audio setup without interrupting your session, providing flexibility and convenience.

Web-Based High-Performance Remote Desktop and Screen Sharing

1. Fluid 2.0 now supports connecting to machines directly from any web browser! You don't need to download a native client anymore. Experience zero friction, high performance remote desktop and screen sharing straight from your web browser. Simply log into your account at https://app.jumpdesktop.com, click My Computers and then click the computer to connect. Any computers running Jump Desktop Connect 7.0, and computers that you have access to will be listed there. Simply click to connect!

2. When Jump Desktop Connect 7.x is installed on the host machine, screen sharing links, users will see an option to connect via a native app or directly from their web browser:

3. Teams users will see Connect buttons with drop-downs where they can select the native app or web browser experience.

Tips: For best performance use Chrome or Edge. Don't worry, we will be optimizing for Safari and Firefox performance as we progress in the beta.

Downloads

These new features require Jump Desktop Connect 7.0 and new versions of Jump Desktop for Windows, iOS and Mac. At the moment these releases need to be downloaded manually. Over the coming weeks, we will be rolling this out to the beta channel. 

Enable Beta updates for Jump Desktop Connect / Mac / Windows and check for updates.

Group billing streamlines finances by enabling different teams in an organization to use one billing account. It consolidates all expenses into a single invoice, removes duplicate charges for users in multiple teams, and eliminates the need for separate team billing, making the process simpler and more cost-effective.

Learn more here

Exciting updates have arrived for the Jump Desktop for Teams dashboard, enhancing your administrative and team management experience!

• Simpler Team Onboarding with SSO without Team invites: Add SSO users directly to your team, bypassing the need for invitations.
• Smoother user onboarding and logins with Domain Verification: Simplify the user onboarding process using domain verification.
• User Management with SCIM v2: Utilize SCIM v2 for advanced user management capabilities.
• New dashboard features geared for Administrators: Explore a range of new features designed to empower administrators.
• Watermarking in Jump Desktop for Teams: Enhance security and branding with watermarking capabilities in Jump Desktop for Teams.

Dive into each feature by following the links provided.

You can now seamlessly integrate Single Sign-On (SSO) users directly into your team, bypassing the need for invitation emails. Ensure your team is connected to an SSO and that your users have valid SSO accounts with Jump Desktop to get started. Navigate to Team -> Tasks -> Add User to find and add your SSO users to the team effortlessly. This feature shines when used in conjunction with Domain Verification and SCIM v2 support, streamlining both new and existing user management.

Dive deeper into utilizing SSO, Domain Verification, and SCIM support for an optimal experience for team admins and users alike.

By adding and verifying your organization's domains within Jump Desktop for Teams, you can simplify the process of onboarding new users and enhance the security of user sign-ins. Verified domains ensure a seamless and secure user experience by offering the ability to skip verification emails for new users, SCIM integration and automatic redirection to SSO.

Learn more about the benefits of domain verification and setup.

Managing user identities and access can be a challenging task, especially as your organization grows. To simplify this process, Jump Desktop for Teams now supports SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) integration. This feature enables seamless synchronisation of user data between your Single Sign-On (SSO) provider and Jump Desktop. Current SCIM support is available for Okta and Microsoft Azure AD. 

Learn more about SCIM v2 support.

We've made several updates to the Jump Desktop for Teams dashboard:

• Enhanced Visibility: Obtain information about every computer and user at a glance. With customizable columns for Users and Computers, retrieve the specifics you need without navigating deeper. The dashboard retains your preferred settings, ensuring consistent visibility tailored to your needs.
  
• Advanced Grouping and Filtering: Tailor each column using filters or groupings. This enables you to view your data precisely as you want. 
  
• Data Export: After configuring your desired views, export your data in formats such as CSV, JSON, Excel, or PDF. This feature is particularly beneficial for generating reports.
• Inline Details for Computers and Users: Clicking on a user or computer in the list immediately presents an inline view of their detailed profile. This helps maintain your position within the list, negating the need for constant back-and-forth navigation. Those with expansive monitor space can place this inline view anywhere on the screen.
• Bulk Actions: Efficiently manage multiple devices or users in one go, reducing repetitive tasks.
• Activity and Connection Logs Export: While there's an API available for retrieving this data, we understand the need for manual exports at times. Hence, we've integrated export buttons directly into the activity and connection logs for your convenience.
  

With these improvements, you can now effortlessly manage your data, making your workflow more efficient and insightful than ever before.