Google has announced that free audio and video calls on Google Meet (formerly Google Hangouts) are now available until June 30 versus the previous cut-off date at the end of March.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- The offer was originally set to expire on March 31.
- The new expiration date is June 30, 2021.
- After that, a 60-minute limit will apply to free users.
Enjoy free calls on Google Meet until June 30
“We’re continuing unlimited Google Meet calls in the free version through June 2021 for Gmail accounts,” the internet company announced on Twitter. Keep in mind that when Google says “unlimited calls,” what it really means is calls up to 24 hours in length.
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In other words, free Google Meet users can continue to use the company’s teleconferencing service beyond March 31, up until June 30. After the new cut-off date, free meetings will be limited to 60 minutes each. A much-appreciated move, this new extension almost certainly has to do with the continued pandemic restrictions in place around the world.
A Google account is required to initiate calls.
Free Meet calls can only have a single host and up to a hundred participants. Paid users can host up to 250 participants on a single audio or video call.
You can also start a Meet call from within Gmail.
Google previously delayed the introduction of a 60-minute limit on free users in April 2020, right in the middle of the coronavirus crisis. Conceived as a replacement for Google Hangouts, the Google Meet service used to be exclusive to paying G-Suite members.