When Google made its video conferencing service Google Meet available for free to everyone with a Google account, the company had mentioned its plans to limit the duration of each session to 60 minutes by September 30. Considering that the pandemic situation is still showing no signs of slowing down, the software giant has now expanded unlimited Meet calls until March 31, 2021.
“As we look ahead to a holiday season with less travel and important milestones like family reunions, PTA meetings and weddings hosted over video, we want to continue helping those who rely on Meet to stay in touch over the coming months. As a sign of our commitment, today we’re continuing unlimited Meet calls (up to 24 hours) in the free version through March 31, 2021 for Gmail accounts,” wrote the company in a blog post.
In case you’re wondering, the actual limit for each Google Meet session is 24 hours. However, chances are, you will not hit that limit in normal circumstances. On the other hand, popular Google Meet competitor Zoom caps each free meeting involving over 3 participants at 40 minutes.
Google’s decision to extend the limit will be helpful to those who are now relying on Google Meet for online classes, virtual meetups, catching up with friends, and more. With this extension, Google may also be able to attract users of competing video conferencing services like Zoom, which in turn will help Google Meet evolve as the standard for video calling in the foreseeable future.
Google Meet is available on Android, iOS, and the web through meet.google.com. You can also use the service right from Gmail, thanks to Google’s tight integration of Google Meet with Gmail.
