What's New

Hello! We have been busy smoothing out the SoWork experience with significant UX improvements and a complete settings overhaul. Here is what launched this month.

🚀 Key Highlights

• New Affiliate Program: You can now earn cash for up to 12 months for every successful referral. Check the dashboard to get your link.

• Settings Overhaul: We completely rewrote the Settings page. It now includes a global search bar, allowing you to find any configuration instantly without clicking through multiple tabs.

• Real Profile Pictures: You can now upload a professional headshot to your profile instead of using an avatar. Find this under Settings > Profile.

💬 Chat Improvements

• Notification Accuracy: Fixed the badge counts for threads and unread messages on both the web and desktop app.

• Threading: Unread and new threads now consistently appear at the top of your list.

• Formatting: Improved rendering for lists, sub-lists, and @mentions within chat messages.

• Read States: Resolved an issue where "Mark as Read" was not persisting correctly.

🛠️ Product & UX Fixes

• Unified Recording Permissions: Simplified controls for meeting recordings. One permission now governs recordings, transcriptions, and summaries.

• Calendar Sync: Fixed a bug where rescheduled recurring Google Calendar events would occasionally leave ghost instances in the office.

• 3DS Payment Support: Added support for payment methods requiring 3DS verification to ensure smoother billing.

• Meeting Focus: Removed the automatic focus on the Meeting Topic field when entering Meeting Mode to prevent accidental typing.

🏗️ Coming Soon

We are currently finalizing a new seat-based billing system, a revamped team analytics dashboard, and a total rewrite of our video infrastructure for better low-bandwidth performance.

Vish and the SoWork Team

December was all about giving back to our users. We ran our "6 Days of SoWork Xmas" event, focusing on highly requested UX "nits" and squishing bugs, while simultaneously launching major integration upgrades.

🚀 Key Highlights

• GitHub Integration: You can now push GitHub events directly into your SoWork office chat. Connect your repository in Settings > Integrations.

• AI Summary Upgrades: Our AI transcription system is now faster and more accurate. You can now download summaries as a PDF and translate them into multiple languages.

• Mapmaker: Duplicate Floors: Experiment with your office layout without risk. You can now duplicate entire floors to test new designs before making them permanent.

• Background Hotkeys: Global shortcuts are back! Toggle your mic (Cmd+Shift+U) and camera (Cmd+Shift+V) even when the SoWork app is in the background.

🎅 6 Days of Xmas UX Improvements

• Hover Interactions: You can now hover over any in-world interactive object to use it immediately.

• Smart Muting: Added a Mute All button for meeting hosts and an opt-in setting to automatically disable your mic/camera when leaving a meeting.

• Improved Responsiveness: Object prompts now open instantly with a new loading indicator for heavy assets.

• Map Panning: You can now pan the map even when your cursor is over an interactive object.

🛠️ Product & UX Fixes

• Integration Refactor: A complete rewrite of the integrations backend makes connecting Google, Outlook, and Zapier smoother and more reliable.

• Meeting Stability: Fixed an issue where the "End Meeting" pop-up was unreliable in large gatherings.

• Calendar Sync: Improved sync reliability for high-volume users and disabled "invite overtakes" to prevent unwanted calendar conflicts.

• Guest Experience: Resolved an issue where guests were not teleported to the correct room upon entry.

• Visual Polish: Fixed the "spinning character" loading bug and corrected the "Giant F" UI glitch in Simple Mode.

🎨 Just for Fun

• Interactive Items: Added a Christmas Gong and new cat/dog chairs for your office pets (and teammates).

• Audible Emojis: Sending a 👏 emoji in a meeting now triggers an audible clapping sound for everyone.

🏗️ Coming Soon

Our January roadmap includes a seat-based billing model, searchable settings, and a massive overhaul of our video call infrastructure to support low-bandwidth connections.

Vish and the SoWork Team

This month, we retired our legacy desk system in favor of a more flexible, user-friendly experience. We also launched our new Affiliate Program, giving you the opportunity to earn cash for growing the SoWork community.

🚀 Key Highlights

• The New Desk System: We have completely rebuilt desks from the ground up. You can now easily place, assign, and manage desks via the Mapmaker. Teammates can even be granted "Desk Management" permissions without needing full Mapmaker access.

• Earn Real Cash: Our brand-new Affiliate System is live. You can now earn real USD payouts for referring new teams and companies to SoWork. Access your unique link via the bottom-left menu.

• Outlook Calendar Plugin: A new Chrome extension for Outlook users allows you to specify exact meeting locations (like specific Zones or Offices) directly within your calendar invites.

• Desktop App Performance: We released a critical update for the macOS Desktop App to resolve performance issues introduced by the latest macOS version. Ensure you are on the latest version for the best experience.

💬 Chat & AI Improvements

• Enhanced AI Summaries: Significant upgrades to our AI summarization engine, providing more accurate transcripts and clearer meeting takeaways.

• Chat Formatting: Fixed various issues with ordered and bulleted lists, link attachments, and thread read states.

• Channel Safety: Added confirmation prompts when deleting Direct Messages (DMs) to prevent accidental data loss.

🛠️ Product & UX Fixes

• Working Hours: You can now view a teammate's full weekly working hours directly on their profile, making it easier to plan across time zones.

• Smart Pathfinding: Fixed an "oops" moment where characters would occasionally walk behind their desks instead of sitting in front of them.

• Whiteboard Flexibility: Whiteboards now take up all available screen space when not in a meeting and allow for empty titles.

• Mapmaker Cleanup: The Mapmaker now resets upon closing, ensuring a clean slate for your next session.

• Mini Mode: Resolved missing UI controls in both light and dark modes within the Mini Mode window.

🏗️ Coming Soon

We are currently working on a "one-click entry" system for meetings directly from your calendar and a massive overhaul of our Meeting Zones for better team organization.

Vish and the SoWork Team

October was focused on performance and collaboration. We introduced more ways to share your meeting outcomes and a new high-performance mode for users who need a distraction-free, lightning-fast experience.

🚀 Key Highlights

• Shareable Meeting Links: You can now generate and share direct links to meeting summaries and recordings within SoWork. This makes catching up on missed discussions easier for the whole team.

• No Graphics 2.0: We introduced a permanent "No Graphics" option in Performance Settings. This allows you to opt-out of the visual game engine entirely for the absolute best performance on any device.

• Google Calendar Plugin Update: You can now specify the exact Zone or Office for a meeting directly within your Google Calendar invite (Chrome extension required).

• AI for Long Meetings: We improved our AI summarization engine to handle very long meetings without failure, ensuring every minute of your marathon sessions is captured.

🛠️ Product & UX Fixes

• Meeting Reliability: Improved video meeting error handling to ensure stable connections for users on variable internet speeds.

• Chat Logic: You can now create or rename channels using the names of previously deleted channels. We also fixed a persistent bug where archived channels would leave "ghost" unread badges.

• Connection Troubleshooting: We re-enabled the Connection Test Tool (from SoWork v1) to help teams self-diagnose network issues and troubleshoot with our support team.

• Navigation: Fixed the "Leave meeting and return to Desk" feature to ensure you are placed correctly back at your workstation after a call.

🎃 Seasonal Treats

• Halloween Content: We added a Ghostbusters outfit for avatars and a new plant option to keep the office looking fresh for the spooky season.

• PDF Viewing: Fixed a bug that prevented some PDF attachments from opening correctly when attached to in-office objects.

🏗️ Coming Soon

We are in the final stages of the brand-new Desk system, one-click meeting entry from calendar events, and a massive revamp of Meeting Zones.

Vish CEO, SoWork

September was a historic month for SoWork! Thanks to your incredible support, we were named Product of the Day on Product Hunt. Beyond the celebrations, we shipped several major features designed to make spontaneous office interactions feel even more natural.

🚀 Key Highlights

• The Wave: You can now "Wave" at teammates to check their availability for a quick chat. It’s the perfect way to signal a non-urgent "knock on the door" or invite someone into a meeting as they pass by.

• The Gong: Celebrate your team's wins! You can now place a Gong in your office via the Mapmaker. Walk up to it and give it a bang to notify the whole team of a milestone.

• Meeting Note Timelines: AI summaries now include clickable timelines. Clicking a timestamp takes you directly to that specific moment in the meeting recording.

• Mobile Web Support: You can now join meetings and view the office (in Simple Mode) directly from a mobile browser—no app download required for quick check-ins.

🛠️ Product & UX Fixes

• Privacy & Focus: We added a highly requested feature that automatically disables your camera and mic when the SoWork app is moved to the background (unless you are actively in a meeting).

• Office Entry: Completely revamped the entry flow for guests and teammates, giving Admins more granular control over who can admit external users.

• Leave and Return to Desk: A new "Leave and Return to Desk" option in the meeting menu allows you to teleport back to your workstation instantly after a call ends.

• Analytics Exports: You can now export your team's office analytics to a CSV file for deeper reporting.

• Search & Stability: Fixed several bugs that caused chat channels to disappear for larger groups and restored full functionality to Chat Search.

🎨 Items & Pets

• Office Pets: Added a Hamster on a Wheel (yes, it’s as cute as it sounds) and several other new pets to keep you company.

• New Decor: Look out for the new alien-hunter outfit and the latest addition to our plant collection—the flower pot.

🏗️ Coming Soon

We are putting the finishing touches on our new Desk system and a revamped Google Calendar plugin that allows you to join specific office locations with a single click.

Vish CEO, SoWork

August was a milestone month for us as we transitioned to SoWork v2.0: The Glow Up Edition. We focused on core utility—bringing back favorite features like Mini-Mode and finally launching the #1 most requested feature in our history: Dark Mode.

🚀 Key Highlights

• Dark Mode is Here: You asked (repeatedly!), and we delivered. You can now toggle Dark Mode in your settings for a sleeker, more comfortable workspace experience.

• All-New Meeting Mode: When you start a formal meeting, SoWork now shifts into a dedicated Meeting Mode. This view prioritizes participants, meeting-specific chat, and shared content to help your team stay focused.

• Mini-Mode Returns: We brought back the compact Mini-Mode window, allowing you to keep an eye on the office and stay connected while working in other apps.

• Simplified Mode 2.0: You can now fully navigate and walk around your office even while in Simplified Mode, perfect for a lightweight experience.

• Availability & Status: We launched a brand-new status system. Click your avatar in the bottom-left corner to set your availability and let your team know if you're in deep work or open to chat.

📊 Team Analytics & Performance

• New Analytics Dashboard: Check the left sidebar for our initial version of Team Analytics. This provides a high-level look at how your team is collaborating and using the office.

• Speed & Performance: We removed several legacy code blocks, resulting in faster app loading and significantly smoother movement across most devices.

• Idle Mode Logic: Updated our "Away" logic to more accurately reflect when a user is actually idle versus just working in a different window.

🛠️ Product & UX Fixes

• Office Management: Restored the "Kick from Office" functionality for Admins—essential for maintaining a secure and professional environment.

• Guest Experience: Simplified the invitation flow. Guests can now join meetings through a streamlined interface without needing to navigate the full office engine.

• Desk Stability: Squashed the "Desk Flickering" bug that was affecting layout changes in the Mapmaker.

• Gift Giving: Fixed an issue with the gift-giving system—go ahead and send some appreciation to your teammates!

🎨 New Styles

• New Avatars: Added two new "familiar" avatar options—a sailor-themed outfit and a spooky "girl from the well" style just for fun.

🏗️ Coming Soon

We are currently prepping for our global Product Hunt launch and finalizing a mobile app update that will bring the full Game World to your phone!

Vish and the SoWork Team

Over the past two months, we listened to your feedback and completely redesigned the SoWork interface. Our goal was to reduce mental overhead while keeping all your essential tools—Chat, Calendar, and Analytics—just one click away.

🚀 Key Highlights

• New Side Panel Layout: We introduced a collapsible left-side panel that houses your Office View, Chat, Calendar, Meeting Notes, and Analytics. This makes multitasking across your virtual HQ significantly faster.

• Simplified Mode: You can now toggle a "Simplified" view of the office. By zooming all the way out or using the toggle, the engine transitions to a high-visibility, low-overhead layout that’s perfect for seeing what’s happening across all Zones at a glance.

• Centralized Media Console: Video and audio functions are now unified in a single central console, providing a more intuitive experience during spontaneous walk-up chats.

• New Help Center: We launched a brand-new, searchable Help Center at help.sowork.com to provide step-by-step guides for every feature in the office.

🛠️ Product & UX Fixes

• Navigation Refine: Navigation buttons have been moved to a vertical stack on the right side of the screen to maximize your view of the office floor.

• Light Theme Update: We’ve tidied up the interface with a cleaner, more professional Light Theme (with a dark theme currently in development).

• Streamlined Settings: The Settings page has been completely reorganized to make it easier to manage your profile and office configurations.

📞 External Meeting Pilot

We are making SoWork the best place for sales calls, customer success, and fundraising. We’ve optimized our infrastructure to allow external guests to join meetings without loading the full game world by default, ensuring a professional and stable experience for your clients.

🏗️ Coming Soon

We are in the final stages of building a brand-new Meeting Mode with a participant-focused video layout and a more logical toolset for formal presentations.

Vish CEO, SoWork 🫡

May was a massive month for foundational upgrades. We launched our first iteration of Gallery Mode to bridge the gap between virtual office immersion and professional video conferencing, alongside a total overhaul of our onboarding flows.

🚀 Key Highlights

• Introducing Focused Meetings: Focused meetings are now easier than ever. You can toggle between the game world and a full-screen video tile layout (similar to Zoom). Private meetings and external guests now see this view by default to maximize focus.

• Streamlined Onboarding: We’ve completely rebuilt the entry path for both Office Creators and Teammates. New checklists, clearer visual steps, and a redesigned "Path to Entry" make it easier than ever to get your team up and running.

• Proximity Circles: To take the guesswork out of connecting, we’ve enabled Proximity Circles by default. You can now see exactly how close you need to be to a teammate to trigger a video connection.

• Instant Meetings: You can now spin up a meeting instantly by clicking the + button in the center toolbar. Invite teammates or external guests with a single click.

🛠️ Product & UX Fixes

• Active Speaker Prioritization: We enabled a new logic that automatically highlights and prioritizes the video tile of whoever is currently speaking.

• App Deep Linking: Clicking a SoWork meeting link in your browser will now automatically redirect you to the Desktop App for a more stable experience.

• Workspot Upgrades: You can now drag Workspots (desks) around in Mapmaker for easier floor planning. We also squashed several cosmetic bugs affecting their appearance.

• Meeting Recordings: Implemented critical backend fixes to ensure meeting recordings are processed more reliably.

🎨 Personalization & Pets

• New Birds & Pets: Added new avatar companions including a flamingo, rooster, eagle, and "Boo" the ghost pet.

• Style Upgrades: New Hawaiian shirts, a Rastafarian dreadlocks hairstyle, and a sneak peek at our upcoming "cleaner" UI theme.

🏗️ Coming Soon

The "Glow Up" is in full swing. We are currently working on moving the entire navigation to a left sidebar and developing a new "top-down" movement experience for even smoother office navigation.

Vish CEO, SoWork