Google Meet Places One-Hour Cap on Group Video Calls for Non-Paying Users

[MacRumors]

Google has brought in 60-minute group video call limits for Google Meet users with free Gmail accounts, according to recently updated support pages (via 9to5Google).

The Meet service was originally exclusive to paying G-Suite members, but "unlimited" (up to 24 hour) group calls were made available for free to all users with a Google account in April 2020, in order to see off competition from Zoom and to help mitigate the impact of the global health crisis on work and relationship patterns.

The 60-minute limit was originally scheduled to come back into effect at the end of September 2020, but Google moved the deadline to March 2021, and then again to June 30, in response to changing circumstances.

Google will continue to allow non-paying users to make one-on-one calls for as long as they want, but longer group calls will require the $7.99 monthly cost of a Google Workspace subscription for individuals.

Going forward, free Gmail account holders will get a notification at 55 minutes that their Meet group call is about to end. To extend the call, the host can upgrade their Google account. Otherwise, the call will end at 60 minutes.

Google Meet offers many of the features that have made Zoom and Microsoft Teams so popular with both business and non-business users over the last year, including video conferencing for up to 100 participants, the option to schedule meetings, and screen-sharing capabilities.

Anyone interested in using Google Meet can download the Meet iOS app from the App Store or head to meet.google.com to use the web browser version.

Article Link: Google Meet Places One-Hour Cap on Group Video Calls for Non-Paying Users

 

[Khedron]

Those people all seem very happy about whatever Erin is saying

 

[hbt15]

Those people all seem very happy about whatever Erin is saying

"It was this big".

 

[m4mario]

This is only until they don't develop computers powerful enough to transcode every live group meeting and use it to monetize it with adds. It will be cool. Imagine you talk about meeting for ice cream tomorrow and an ice cream ad pops up. And everyone goes... "Cool, let's go there."

 

[himanshumodi]

"It was this big".

This is only until they don't develop computers powerful enough to transcode every live group meeting and use it to monetize it with adds. It will be cool. Imagine you talk about meeting for ice cream tomorrow and an ice cream ad pops up. And everyone goes... "Cool, let's go there."

Dare I imagine the ads for what Erin is saying...

 

[The_Martini_Cat]

This actually happened during our meetup last nite (except the part about everyone smiling about ice cream and then going out and getting some). It says “ csll will end soon “, everyone waves and says “see you “, and then the call ends. I’d say it’s not a bug. It’s a feature!??

 

[ghanwani]

Taking a page out of the Zoom playbook.

 

[One2Grift]

This is only until they don't develop computers powerful enough to transcode every live group meeting and use it to monetize it with adds. It will be cool. Imagine you talk about meeting for ice cream tomorrow and an ice cream ad pops up. And everyone goes... "Cool, let's go there."

straight truth but the data they’ll mine will be a lot more than ice cream ?

 

[Macintosh IIvx]

I don't want to be part of any virtual meeting longer than 1 hour. We've got plenty of scientific data that shows longer meetings don't accomplish more. They're just a waste of more time.

 

[urnotl33t]

"Operator. Please insert another $7.99 for another 60 minutes."

 

[T Coma]

they were just trying to “...help mitigate the impact of the global health crisis...”

enough eyeroll in that phrase to require a trip to the opthamologist

 

[oldoneeye]

I don't want google "monetising" my meetings thank-you. I'll stick with zoom ....

 

[H2SO4]

I don't want to be part of any virtual meeting longer than 1 hour. We've got plenty of scientific data that shows longer meetings don't accomplish more. They're just a waste of more time.

For YOU. It depends what you're talking about.

 

[DesignTime]

So we learned nothing new from 2020? Let’s just move back to the stone age of 2019 age. I can’t wait for us to live life like it was 1960 again. Business owners just can’t wait for their “hard working employees” to be happy in an office while they watch. All while thinking of their next money making scheme. Love it!

 

[SurferPup]

Jiggle Hookups (should be renamed to this if it is going to be used for something like Tinder group video chats) could cap it at five minutes and it still would not phase me. I am staying with FaceTime: encrypted, no data mining, advertising free and no time limits.

 

[__dontpanic__]

Someone point me to a webcam that delivers the image quality and depth of field that these guys have...

 

[SurferPup]

I kinda get the feeling I've seen this Google Meets idea somewhere before...

 

[SurferPup]

Those people all seem very happy about whatever Erin is saying

She said you can all take a day off with pay... I can lipread and signed back, "?, Erin ?."

 

[jlc1978]

I have it as part of my Workspace account but haven't really used it since we also have a Zoom account; will have to try it sometime.

 

[NinjaHERO]

And that was when we moved from Meet to FB. I do miss the Meet backgrounds though.

 

[alexandr]

She said you can all take a day off with pay... I can lipread and signed back, "?, Erin ?."

not the whole day — up to an hour.

 

[dcdandan]

I don't want to be part of any virtual meeting longer than 1 hour. We've got plenty of scientific data that shows longer meetings don't accomplish more. They're just a waste of more time.

Even less than one hour often is a waste of time

study shows meetings are mostly waste of time. Don’t accomplish anything but way for manager to force group to “come up “ “agree “ what boss wants and then put blame on them later on

also for boss ego

meeting can be good if ppl really can share ideas ans have transparency and everyone truly care. But in corporate we know it will never happen

 

[Totorotarrot]

Why not just start a new one?

 

[SurferPup]

Even less than one hour often is a waste of time

study shows meetings are mostly waste of time. Don’t accomplish anything but way for manager to force group to “come up “ “agree “ what boss wants and then put blame on them later on

also for boss ego

meeting can be good if ppl really can share ideas ans have transparency and everyone truly care. But in corporate we know it will never happen

This dude is totally tuned out listening to, 'The Zane Lowe Show' on his AirPods Max.