Google Meet To Impose A Time Limit On Free Accounts After Sep 30
Back in April, Google declared Google Meet entirely free for all users until September 30. This move came in response to the scintillating growth of its rival, Zoom, in a short span. As we approach the end of Meet’s free period, the tech giant looks intent on sticking to the original schedule, which means imposing a time limit on the free plan in the near future.
Since Google’s announcement, Meet has allowed its free account holders to use the service with up to 100 concurrent participants without any time restriction. The provision of full features, coupled with an increasing number of people switching to remote work and online classes, has seen Google Meet’s user base grow by leaps and bounds in little time.
However, the service is soon set to place a 60-minute time limit for free plan users after September 30. Besides Google Meet, GSuite, and GSuite for Education users will also lose access to advanced features on the free plan. Features like saving video meetings to Google Drive and live streaming to 100K+ viewers on the same domain will only be available for paid users, starting from October.
A Google spokesperson reportedly told The Verge, “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“. It can be inferred from the statement that there is no change in the tech giant’s plan as of now, and it is most likely that the free full-access to Google Meet and other services will end on the scheduled date.
The 60-minute time limit coming to free Google Meet accounts would certainly affect those managers who have taken a liking to long team meetings and those teachers who are used to taking their time during online lectures — people who use it for conferences under an hour would notice virtually zero difference.
Do you rely on Google Meet for work or school? Do you think the new time limit is enough for your needs? Tell us in the comments below.
