Not Zoom, here's the '3 million reason' Google Meet is free for everyone
NEW DELHI: Google's video-conferencing platform Google Meet is now free for everyone. Of course, you need an email ID to use it. But if you thought it's Zoom's popularity that made Google make Meets free, you may have got it wrong. As according to Google, it is the number of users that the search giant was adding on a daily basis last month (April) that made the company take the decision. As Javier Soltero, vice president & GM, G Suite, said in a blog post, "Last month, we were adding roughly 3 million new users every day. That's why we're expanding the offering to more people around the world."
Google announced the free availability of Google Meet late last month. The rollout is complete now. Initially built for the enterprises, the video-conferencing tool is now accessible to anyone with an email at meet.google.com or on iOS or Android. This means anyone with an email address can sign up for Meet and use many of the same features available to business and education users, such as scheduling and screen sharing, real-time captions, and layouts, including tiled view.
"And to make meetings even more accessible and helpful, in the coming days you’ll also be able to use Meet directly in Gmail," added Soltero. Google Meet allows up to 100 people and there is currently no time limit. After September 30, Google will limit meetings to 60 minutes.
Incidentally, Google Meet is not the only video-conferencing platform that the search giant is investing heavily on. Google Duo video chat app too has got a slew of features in the past few weeks. The company also claims that its user base has gone up multifold times. In the latest announcement, Google’s Duo video chat app will soon let users make group video calls on the web. Group call participants will, however, need a Google account to join. The company recently also added Family mode on Duo. "Our new family mode lets you doodle on video calls for everyone to see and also surprise them with fun effects and masks that transform you into astronauts, cats and more. Just start a video call, tap the menu icon and then tap Family to get started," says the company in a blog post.
Google announced the free availability of Google Meet late last month. The rollout is complete now. Initially built for the enterprises, the video-conferencing tool is now accessible to anyone with an email at meet.google.com or on iOS or Android. This means anyone with an email address can sign up for Meet and use many of the same features available to business and education users, such as scheduling and screen sharing, real-time captions, and layouts, including tiled view.
"And to make meetings even more accessible and helpful, in the coming days you’ll also be able to use Meet directly in Gmail," added Soltero. Google Meet allows up to 100 people and there is currently no time limit. After September 30, Google will limit meetings to 60 minutes.
Incidentally, Google Meet is not the only video-conferencing platform that the search giant is investing heavily on. Google Duo video chat app too has got a slew of features in the past few weeks. The company also claims that its user base has gone up multifold times. In the latest announcement, Google’s Duo video chat app will soon let users make group video calls on the web. Group call participants will, however, need a Google account to join. The company recently also added Family mode on Duo. "Our new family mode lets you doodle on video calls for everyone to see and also surprise them with fun effects and masks that transform you into astronauts, cats and more. Just start a video call, tap the menu icon and then tap Family to get started," says the company in a blog post.
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