Google to the rescue! Meet video calls now free till March 31 next year

Google gave a huge relief to Work From Home professionals when it allowed free calls for unlimited duration on its Meet platform till September 30. Some of them were worried when no announcement regarding the extension was made. Google came to their rescue when it confirmed that people can continue to make free calls for unlimited duration (up to 24 hours) beyond September 30 as well. The tech giant has announced that the benefit will be available till March 31, 2021 now.  

Google account users can continue to use Google Meet to have video calls that extend up to 24 hours. Google Meet has experienced a surge in users after the coronavirus pandemic has pushed everyone to connect virtually. The platform competes agianst Zoom and Microsoft Teams, among other platforms.  

Google said in a blog post that as video calls were playing a crucial role in helping people connect, it wanted to offer the best possible services for the same. Back in April, Google Meet had become free-to-use for all, allowing unlimited calls (up to 24 hours) until September 30. 

“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,” said Google Meet group product manager Samir Pradhan in the blog post.

The platform has also been adding features like noise cancellation, background blur, 49-person grid view, and Chromecast support to its video servicing platform. Google said that with the extension, people with free Google accounts can enjoy the same benefits as its business users. 

However, Google will not be extending the deadline for advanced features given to G Suite and G Suite for Education members like allowing meetings of up to 250 participants and live streams in a single domain of up to 100,000 people.