Earlier this year Google announced that it would make Google Meet, its video conferencing tool, free to anyone with a Google account. That’s not changing anytime soon, but Google Meet is about to impose a time limit on its free users.
Update 9/29: Google will not limit calls to 60 minutes for free Gmail users until next year.
Starting on September 30th, pending any changes, Google Meet will limit all free meetings to 60 minutes. This doesn’t really come as a surprise, as it was mentioned in Google’s announcement regarding free Meet calls back in April. Technically speaking, the restriction has been in place this whole time, but it wasn’t being enforced.
It’s unclear what restrictions will come with Google Meet’s time limit, but presumably, it’ll work a lot like Zoom’s. After a meeting hits 60 minutes, users can simply create another meeting and join that with the same participants.
Given the pandemic hasn’t really shown any signs of slowing down, it’s a bit surprising that Google hasn’t granted an extension on the unlimited length calls. Still, with Zoom sticking with its 40-minute time limit, Google Meet will remain the superior option from that viewpoint. In a statement to The Verge, Google essentially confirmed no extension is coming.
We don’t have anything to communicate regarding changes to the promo and advanced features expiring. If this changes, we’ll be sure to let you know.
More on Google Meet:
- Google Meet is now available on Chromecast, uses camera, microphone from your computer
- Google Meet rolling out Jamboard integration for collaborative whiteboarding
- Google Meet starts rolling out 49-person grid view, background blur
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