Google Meet is giving users a reason to keep video chatting on its platform. Rather than end its 'free Premium for all' promotion on September 30 as originally planned, Google is extending the offer through next year.
This means users enjoying free, unlimited Google Meet calls can continue to do so until March 31, 2021. That's just shy of a year since Google started the promotion to help people stay in touch, and to compete with best video chat apps.
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Google Meet's premium tier is a popular option for businesses, but anyone with Google account has been able to enjoy calls with up to 100 people, and without a time limit. Meanwhile, Google Meet competitor Zoom enforces a 40 minute call limit on free meetings with more than 3 participants.
There are some benefits to Google Meet's paid tiers that free users don't get, like 24/7 online support and even larger meeting capacities. But if you're just using Google Meet to stay in touch while social distancing, or talk to coworkers in your small business, the free version is probably fine for you.
Google Meet has introduced important upgrades since extended premium features to free version users. Meetings can now be cast to smart TVs, and you can join a group call by asking Google Assistant via your Nest Hub Max.
You're able to see 49 people in a tiled view now, too. Better yet, the background blur feature will save you from tidying up your bedroom or home office before hoping on a call.
