Google Meet is now free for all users, set to give fierce competition to Zoom

Tech giant Google is in no mood to lag behind in the battle of video conferencing apps. In a bid to take on other platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, Google has made its video conferencing app free for all users globally. Google Meet was initially launched as a premium app for paid users, but looking at the surging demand for video call services across the globe owing to the lockdowns imposed by several governments in order to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak, the app is gradually rolling out the free versions.

Earlier, the Meet app could have only been used through a Google business or education account to set up calls. However, Google has announced that going forward, Meet will be available to anyone for free on the web and via mobile apps for iOS or Android. 

It said that those using Google Calendar will be able to easily start or join from there, too. Through Meet, Google lets 100 people to participate in a single video call.

While Google has long offered free versions of business tools including Gmail and Google Docs, there has been no equivalent for Meet, a newer service launched three years ago.

"Today, we’re making Google Meet, our premium video conferencing product, free for everyone, with availability rolling out over the coming weeks," wrote Javier Soltero, Vice President & GM, G Suite, in a blog post.

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The post said that a free version of the app will be rolled out in May and all the services that were earlier available for premium users, will be available for free to all.

"Starting in early May, anyone with an email address can sign up for Meet and enjoy many of the same features available to our business and education users, such as simple scheduling and screen sharing, real-time captions, and layouts that adapt to your preference, including an expanded tiled view," the post said.

In case you do not receive the update, you can also sign up here to get notified when your account can gain gains access.