Google Meet’s unlimited video conference feature ends for free users; group calls are now capped at 60 minutes

Google Meet’s video conference functionality is confirmed to have brought back a limit to video conferences for free users. Those who are not paying customers can still use Google’s services but with a 60-minute cap.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, tech companies offering online communication services temporarily lifted restrictions on some features as many businesses resorted to a work-from-home set up throughout the last year. With quarantine restrictions lifted in many places around the world and companies going back to the conventional in-office arrangement, it was not surprising that Google has decided not to extend the free use of unlimited video conference via Google Meet.

The free and unlimited use of Google Meet was initially offered in April 2020. At the time, Google said it would only be available until September of last year. But the company later announced that free users can still use the feature until March 31, only to extend it again to the end of June. That appears to be the final adjustment on Google’s part, as an updated support page now reflects that the unlimited video conference function has been reverted as an exclusive feature for paying members.

On a Google Meet support page, the company confirms that free users can still use the app on their computer for one-on-one calls for up to 24 hours. However, calls with three or more participants will be limited to 60 minutes.

Google Meet will send notifications to all participants of the video conference at the 55-minute mark of the call. “To extend the call, the host can upgrade their Google account,” Google adds. “Otherwise, the call will end at 60 minutes.”

The unlimited use of Google Meet is part of the subscription-based Google Workspace. The cheapest plan, Business Starter, costs $4.20 per month and allows up to 100 participants in video meetings. The Business Standard tier, which Google labels the “most popular” pricing, is available at $9.60 per month and can accommodate up to 150 video conference participants, plus the option to record the meeting and a 2TB cloud storage.

Losing the unlimited video conference feature might not be such a letdown, though, since many companies tend to limit their meetings to under 60 minutes anyway. In that case, Google Meet’s free 60-minute video conference might still be enough for many free users.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash