What's New in BigBlueButton 3.0.30

BigBlueButton 3.0.30 introduces the ability to disable specific recording formats on a per-meeting basis, new plugin actions to stop screen sharing and upload presentations, and hides the session token from the browser's address bar. The release also includes several recording stability and memory-usage fixes, accessibility improvements, and updates to FreeSWITCH.

Per-Meeting Recording Format Selection

Administrators can now control which recording formats are available for each meeting. This allows disabling resource-intensive formats like presentation-only or screenshare-only when they are not needed, potentially reducing storage and processing overhead.

New Plugin Actions

The Plugin SDK gains two new actions: stopping screen sharing and uploading presentations. Developers can now build plugins that offer these capabilities directly within the BigBlueButton interface.

Session Token Hidden from Address Bar

The session token is no longer displayed in the browser's address bar, improving security by reducing the risk of accidental exposure. This change affects the HTML5 client only.

Recording Stability and Memory Improvements

Several recording fixes address processing hangs when seeking in screenshare files and reduce memory usage when audio cuts extend into gaps. These changes improve the reliability of recording playback and reduce server load.

Accessibility and Other Fixes

The HTML5 client receives accessibility updates, including better keyboard navigation and screen reader support. A fix ensures that breakout room webcams respect moderator lock settings. Additionally, the unified layout now correctly displays the total participant count when tile count plus aggregated users did not match.

HTML5 Client Improvements

Raised Hand Indicator for Audio-Only Participants

Audio-only participants now have a visual raised hand indicator, making it easier for moderators to see who wants to speak even without video.

Improved Chat Reply Previews

Chat reply previews are clearer and more context-aware, reducing confusion in fast-paced conversations.

Learning Dashboard Standalone Build

The Learning Dashboard now supports a standalone build mode, allowing it to be deployed independently of the main BigBlueButton server. This provides flexibility for administrators who want to offer analytics without exposing the full dashboard.

Core and Build Updates

A fix prevents blank slide snapshots when using a cluster proxy. Error messages from presentation uploads are now more descriptive. FreeSWITCH has been updated to version 1.11.1, bringing bug fixes and improvements from the upstream release. The bbb-web Nginx configuration has also been cleaned up.