Google Meet now allows everyone to video chat with up to 100 people for free. No prizes for guessing, this is to take on Zoom that has been offering the same functionality for a while now, which is why it has been pulling so many users even in countries like India where the Government has deemed the service unsafe. Google had first announced on April 29 that in the coming weeks it will roll out an update making Google Meet, its “premium” video calling service free for all. Separately “advanced” Google Meet features like support for up to 250 participants, live streaming, and recording, remain free for all G Suite users till September 30.
Anybody with a Google account can now video call with up to 100 people simultaneously and without any time limits using Google Meet. Until today, you had to be a “paying” G Suite customer to access Meet video calls. More specifically, anybody with a Google account can now video call with 100 people for as long as they want, though after September 30, Google will cap all “free” Meet video calls at 60 minutes. All free Google Meet users will be able to access popular features like screen sharing, real-time captions and the new tile-based interface that gives it a more Zoom-like look and feel.
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Google has also been making Google Meet more accessible by adding dedicated tabs for start and join meetings directly into Gmail. That update is also rolling out now, though because it’s also a phased rollout, not everyone will get it at the same time.
The coronavirus outbreak has entailed a surge in video calling apps around the world. More and more people are now using these apps for work, for education, or simply staying connected with their near and dear ones, while being cooped inside their homes to curb the spread of COVID-19. Google says it’s seeing Meet’s peak daily usage grow by 30x since January and as of this month, the en masse video calling platform is “hosting 3 billion minutes of video meetings and adding roughly 3 million new users every day.”
