Explore what’s new in Digital Samba 634! This release introduces a new virtual background engine with improved quality and performance, along with chat emoji reactions. We’ve also added updates to breakout room behaviour and enhancements to quiz exports. Read on to discover what’s new, and don’t forget to check the latest updates in Digital Samba Free.
Share this
by Dušan Savić on March 18, 2026
Available from 13 March, 2026
.webp?width=1200&height=830&name=Digital%20Samba%20634%20-%20Virtual%20Backgrounds%20(New).webp)
Digital Samba Embedded
Dashboard and API
New Features
-
Added "Virtual backgrounds (new engine)" room setting. This setting is turned off by default to allow choosing whether to switch to the new engine.
-
Added new room setting "Allow emojis chat reactions."
-
Added a new "Allow extended emoji reactions" sub-setting that enables chat message reactions using the full emoji library. By default, this setting is turned off.
-
Added a new room unlocked webhook event so that external systems can be notified when a room transitions from locked to unlocked.
-
Added new API endpoints to mute and unmute phone participants, giving external systems direct control over participant audio state.
-
Added translations to quiz result documents exported from a session. Only via API. Supported languages: Italian, German, and Spanish.
In-Room
New Features
-
Added emoji reactions to chat messages.
-
Added quality improvements to the virtual background engine, resulting in sharper and more accurate background rendering.
-
Added the ability to return to the main room from a breakout room without enabling the free movement between breakout rooms setting.
-
Added an In-room update that renames the "Unmute" action for phone participants to "Ask to unmute", making it clear that the action is a request rather than a forced change.
Fixed
-
Fixed an issue where moderators joining a session at different times could see inconsistent phone caller counts in the participant list.
-
Fixed an issue where drawings on a private whiteboard were not synchronised between moderators when the board was in locked mode.
-
Fixed an issue where the hand (pan) tool did not work correctly when dragging on a zoomed-in screen share.
-
Fixed an issue where the whiteboard did not update correctly after reconnecting if different content had been opened in the meantime.
Digital Samba Free
-
Added a new virtual background engine, switched on for all templates as the default setting, delivering improved quality and performance for all participants.
-
Added European date formatting to session invitation emails.
-
Added Catalan as a supported translation language in the dashboard.
-
Added new room settings to control chat reactions.
