Google Meet, the popular video communication tool will impose a 60-minute limit on group video chats for its free users.
When it was made available to all users last year, the video calling service had no time limit on calls for any number of participants except Enterprises or Education customers.
Google had stated that group video chats would be limited to 60 minutes, however, the deadline was repeatedly extended due to the coronavirus outbreak. The time limit is still only in effect for calls with three or more participants, and one-on-one video chats are still unaffected.
According to the company, Google Workspace users will need to upgrade to a premium membership to host limitless group video chats with three or more members. Google Meet’s guidelines have been updated to mention that free Gmail users can arrange a group call with three or more participants for no more than 60 minutes at a time.
The updated guidelines are also acknowledged on the Google Meet Help website. “At 55 minutes, everyone gets a notification that the call is about to end. To extend the call, the host can upgrade their Google account. Otherwise, the call will end at 60 minutes,” the guidelines say.
The Google Meet Help website has also recommended users to upgrade their Google Meet account in order to participate in unlimited group calls. The upgrade, Google Workspace Individual tier has been announced for $9.99 per month. The calls can last longer than the 60-minute limit if the meeting hosts upgrades to this plan.
Earlier, Google had indicated that meeting times will be limited to 60 minutes from September 2020. However, Google then announced that the deadline for unlimited free calls will be extended until March and that the most recent deadline to be on June 30.
